Mixed Feelings
by SomethingObvious375
Summary: Adam doesn't like Bianca, but they keep having moments and he doesn't know what to make of it. BADAM. Rated M for content that will come later. I don't own any of the characters.
1. Chapter 1

I walk downstairs to the basement only to find Drew and Bianca making out on the couch and Dallas on the floor playing Call of Duty 2.

Lifting his headset away from his mouth, Dallas says, "Yo Torres, come join me, help me kick some 12 year old ass."

I shrug not really wanting to be around Drew and Bianca but knowing it was too late to turn around, "Okay," I say grabbing the second controller and joining Dallas on the floor.

Bianca notices I'm there and stops making out with Drew which causes Drew to pout, "Bee, why'd you stop?"

"I don't like audiences," she replies, but it didn't really sound like the real reason.

Dallas interjects, "You mean us? Trust me, Adam and I have more important things to focus on," Dallas says nodding toward the TV. Speak for yourself, I happen to be highly aware of what's going on behind me.

It's not that I like Bianca, we're not even really friends, I just have a hard time being around her and Drew. I don't know why. Since she started dating Drew we've had this undeclared truce. She stopped making snide insults and I stopped hating her.

"Yeah Bee, they're not watching," Drew reasons, trying to kiss Bianca again.

She swiftly turns her head and Drew gets her check, "Sorry babe, we'll continue when we're alone, I promise," Bianca says leaning in to give Drew a quick peck on the lips.

Drew pouts a little more but finely gives up, "Fine, then I'm going to play video games with the guys," he says sliding off the couch and onto the floor next to Dallas. "Pass me a controller," Drew demands.

To that Bianca just scoffs but doesn't say anything. I don't know why she puts up with some of Drew's childish behavior.

"Hey Torres, get your head in the game, I don't want to lose this one," Dallas says. I mentally turn my focus away from the pretty girl sitting on the couch behind me and back to the game. The whole time we're playing I can't help but get a feeling that there's a pair of eyes watching me as I play.

Between games I take a quick glance behind me and lock eyes with Bianca causing a shiver to shoot through me. She offers a quick smile and I just nod back before turning my head toward the TV. I can't believe she was actually looking at me, has she been doing that this whole time?

"Well I better get going," I hear her say from behind us.

Drew hops up, gives her a quick kiss goodbye, and manages a "Bye babe," before plopping back down on the floor. Really Drew? You're not going to walk her to the door. I can tell she noticed this too.

"I'm going to grab a drink from the fridge, you guys want anything?" I ask Dallas and Drew.

"Coke," Dallas replies.

"One for me too," Drew says.

I stand up and head for the stairs with Bianca in front of me. Not that I should be staring, but Bianca's ass is right in front of me as we walk up the stairs. For the thousandth time I think of how hot she is.

She goes to open the front door but pauses and turns to me, "Thanks for walking me to the door Adam," Bianca says looking appreciative.

"Uh I wasn't, it's just on the way to the kitchen," I shrug, hoping she doesn't see through me.

"Sure you weren't," she says playfully, offering me a wink that results in me blushing. Oh god, I hope she doesn't notice the affect she has on me.

I smile and say, "Goodnight Bianca."

"Goodnight Torres," she replies, and with that she's out the door. As soon as she's gone I miss her presence. Again, I don't know why I have these feelings, I seriously don't like her or anything.

I shrug away the thoughts, grab three sodas, and head downstairs.

I toss Drew his soda and hand the other to Dallas, "Did I miss anything?" I ask.

"Drew was just filling me in on how good of a kisser Bianca is," Dallas says teasingly. I guess it's time for some guy talk. I grab my controller and move to the couch as Dallas starts up another game. Dallas continues, "Come on Drew, I want details. Tongue or no tongue?"

Drew laughs at the question, "Definitely lots of tongue." I cringe as I picture it. I don't really want to hear any of this yet I can't move from the couch. I guess part of me is curious.

"On a scale of 1 to 10, how good of a kisser is she?" Dallas asks. Rating girls seems kind of demeaning, but then again, I don't think girls really mind.

"Hard 10," Drew responds with a grin on his face, clearly thinking back to when they were making out.

"How is she at other things?" Dallas asks nudging Drew's shoulder and laughing.

Drew's grin widens as he thinks, "Dude, let's just say she's good at what she does." Thank god I'm spared the details.

But Dallas isn't satisfied with the answer, "You got to give me more than that!"

Drew chuckles, "She gives great head, the best I've ever had." Ugh, I really did not need that mental picture.

Dallas looks a little surprised but recovers quickly, "Just how far have you two gone?" He sounds curious, and so am I.

"That's as far as we've gone, but I hope to change that. Next week when mom and dad are gone for the weekend, I need you and Adam out of the house. That cool?" Drew asks.

Dallas nods, "Anything to help my bro get laid."

Drew laughs at that, "Thanks man, how about you Adam? Can you get lost?"

"Sure, I'll stay at Eli's," I say.

Drew seems pumped that his plan is going to work out, "Thanks guys, you are the best!"

Finally the topic changes and I can focus on the game again. After another hour of playing, we call it a night. I toss and turn all night. I can't get the images of Drew and Bianca out of my head. It shouldn't bother me as much as it does but it's all I can think about.

My alarm goes off at 6:30am but I was already awake. I got maybe an hour of sleep last night, which means this day is going to suck.

I head to the bathroom in hopes of beating Drew, which thankfully I did. He can take forever sometimes. I brush my teeth, gel my hair, and head back to my room. I put on my binder, then a white wife beater, slide on a black graphic tee, pull on some faded grey jeans, and finish the outfit with my favorite pair of white Jordan's.

"Drew! Adam! You don't want to be late!" I hear my mom shouting from the downstairs. As I'm heading out of my room, I put on my black ray ban sunglasses and grab my backpack.

I walk downstairs with Drew right behind me, "Ready to go?" I ask. I reach for the keys sitting on a stand by the door, "I'll drive."

"Yeah I'm ready. Bye mom," Drew says before he's out the door.

"By mom," I mimic as I walk out the door too.


	2. Chapter 2

It's a quiet ride to school, neither of us are really talkative in the morning. Luckily we have the radio which is playing some indie pop, my favorite. I pull into a parking spot and Drew is already out the door, "Catch you later Adam."

He's probably off to find Bianca. I sit in the car listening to music for a little long. I notice a car pull in next to me. Not really thinking much of it, I continue to just sit there and sing along with the song.

When I hear a tap on the window, I look over and Bianca is standing there. I roll down the window. This is kind of strange. It's not like we avoid each other at school, but we don't deliberately seek each other out either.

"Hey Torres, did you bring your brother to school today?" She asks, glancing toward the empty passenger seat. Oh, she's just here to ask about Drew.

"Yeah he's already inside," I answer. She seems content with the answer but doesn't make a move for the school.

A few moments pass before she says, "You going to make me walk by myself or are you coming?" She asks sassily.

"Coming," I respond. I open the door and step out. I'm only inches from Bianca as we're pressed between our two cars. Her hot breath is hitting my neck and her vanilla perfume is enveloping me. Her eyes look up to meet mine and I can tell the proximity is affecting her too. For a brief moment it feels like there's no one else in this world, just her and I.

I hear the school bell ring in the distance, knocking both of us out of this trance.

She reaches down and grabs my hand, which takes me by surprise, "Come on, we don't want to be late," Bianca says tugging me toward school.

As we walk through the school doors she drops my hand and just walks off. So much for goodbyes.

…..

Bianca's POV

What just happened? I had to ditch Adam at the door, the feelings he gave me were getting to be a little overwhelming. It takes a moment for me to shake the feelings Adam gave me when we were standing so close. And when we were holding hands, did he feel the electricity like I did? It took me back to when we were dance partners in gym class. The way he would hold me as we danced always felt right, like I belonged in his arms.

Snap out of it Bee, just get to class and forget about stupid Adam.

I head into class remembering that Adam and I share the same 1st period class, Chemistry. I turn around to ditch but the teacher walked in right behind me, "Have a seat Ms. DeSousa."

The bell starts to ring and Adam strolls into class just in the nick of time. He takes a seat next to Eli in the back, as for me, I'm stuck in the seat directly in front of him. I can feel his stare but won't allow myself to glance at him. I refuse to acknowledge his presence, it's the only way I can avoid having anymore unwarranted feelings.

I'm trying to focus on the teacher but my thoughts seem to revert back to Adam. He looks good today, even though it's a little douche-y, he looks cute wearing his sunglasses indoors. I don't think I am the only one who noticed either because I hear Becky and Jenna talking about him at the table next to me.

"Adam looks good today," Jenna says while not so subtly checking Adam out.

Becky glances over at him too, "Yeah he does…" She says trailing off and just openly staring.

"Do you still like him?" Jenna inquires. I didn't know Becky liked Adam.

"Yes. I mean no. Well sort of, I don't know. The whole transgender thing has me confused but I mean, I like talking to him and being around him. He always makes me laugh." She smiles at that.

I get where she's coming from, I didn't take the whole finding out that he's transgender thing very well either. In fact I handled in the worst way possible, by outing him in front of the whole school. In hindsight it was a bitch move, but at the time I was in shock and a little disappointed, so I just acted without thinking.

"He already asked me out once, how do I get him to do it again?" Becky whines. I didn't know Adam asked her out, why didn't she say yes the first time? Stupid little Christian girl doesn't know what she missed out on… Then again, I don't really know what I missed out on either.

"Here's a crazy idea, why don't you do the asking?" Jenna suggests. Maybe Jenna should just keep the advice to herself. I doubt Adam's still interested anyways.

I hear Eli whisper to Adam, "I think Becky and Jenna are talking about you."

"What makes you think that?" Adam asks, sounding doubtful of Eli's observation.

"They keep looking at you and then talking and then looking at you again, but don't worry, in a good way." Eli says.

"Eli, I have a serious question and I need an honest answer," Adam says. I wonder what he's going to ask Eli, is it about me?

"Should I give Becky another chance?" Adam asks. What the fuck, it's about stupid Becky Baker. What does she have that I don't? A bible. Yeah I'm sure that's what turns Adam on, her gospel passages about salvation and all the other bullshit she spouts.

"I don't know," Eli replies, "She kind of broke your heart. I just don't want you getting hurt again and if she hasn't changed then don't do it." She broke his heart? What a bitch, she doesn't deserve him anyway.

"Yeah your right. Besides I think I'm moving on anyways," Adam says.

"Enough talking," the teacher says directing his comment toward Eli and Adam.

Who's Adam moving on to? The bell rings which drags me out of my thoughts. I pick up my books and rush out the door, not ready to see Adam yet. I'm barely three steps out the door when I bump directly into Drew.

"Hey Bee, where were you this morning?" He says clearly happy to see me. I feel relieved seeing him, it feels comfortable being with Drew, I always know what to expect from him.

"I got to school at the bell, so I went straight to class," I say.

He leans down to kiss me and I can see Adam glance at me before Drew's lips reach mine.

"Get a room," Dallas jokes as he walks by.

I notice Adam cringe at the comment across the hallway. Maybe he's jealous? Or maybe he's just grossed out at the thought. Either way I'm glad he's thinking about me.

"So Bee, I was thinking we'd actually get a room," Drew says hesitantly.

"What do you mean?" I ask a little confused how this would work but understanding what he's asking.

"Well my parents are gone next weekend, want to stay over?" He has a smile on his face, I can tell the thought alone excites him.

"What would we do all weekend?" I ask flirtatiously.

"I have a few things in mind," And with that he's kissing me again.

A/N: I'm not sure if I should continue this, it's my first story, so any feedback would be nice. Any advice from the readers is welcomed.


	3. Chapter 3

Adam's POV

I wince at the sight of Drew and Bianca, "Hey Eli, I think I'm going to need a place to crash this weekend."

"No can do Adam, sorry. Clare and I have plans." Eli says. Dammit, I have to find some place I can stay or else I'll be stuck in a house with Drew and Bianca all weekend.

"Oh okay," I reply.

"Why the sudden urge to get out of the house?" Eli asks. He's too perceptive, it's literally impossible to hide anything from him.

"Drew wants the house so he and Bianca can have alone time," I answer.

"Oh gotcha," Eli says knowing what I mean by alone time.

I notice Fiona walk by, "Hey Eli I'll catch you later," I say turning to catch up with Fiona.

"Hello Prince Adam," Fiona says smiling at me once I catch up to her.

"Hey Fi, can I ask you for a favor?" I ask.

"Sure, what's up?" She says.

"Can I stay at your place this weekend?" I ask hesitantly. Fiona and I are good friends even after we broke up, but we avoid being alone with each other because of our past.

"If it's cool with Imogen then sure, I don't see why not," She says not bothered by the request at all.

I sigh in relief, "Thanks you're a life saver." I give her a quick hug and head off to class.

Later that day during lunch I find Eli and Clare at our usual table, "Hey guys," I say taking a seat.

"Hey Adam," They both say.

"Clare just cancelled on me this weekend so if you still need a place to stay, I'm free," Eli offers.

"It's cool, I'm staying with Fiona," I respond nonchalantly.

Clare looks a little surprised, "You sure that's a good idea Adam?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" I ask innocently. Although I can already tell where this is going.

"Because you two use to date," Clare says and Eli nods in agreement.

"Guys, if I avoided every girl that broke my heart there would be no one left to talk to," I respond.

Eli shrugs at this, clearly ready to change subjects, but Clare doesn't want to drop it, "Do you still like her?" Wow that question was out of left field.

"Of course not, we're just friends," I say, getting tired of Clare's interrogation even though I know she means well, "Guys and girls can be just friends, ya know," I say slightly irritated now.

Eli jumps in, "We know Adam. We're not trying piss you off, we're just looking out for you."

"Thanks but no thanks, I can take care of myself," I say standing up from the table and exiting the lunch room. I shouldn't have gotten so upset but sometimes Clare just doesn't get it. If it weren't for Eli, I doubt Clare and I would be friends.

Dave finds me at my locker, "Hey Adam, ready for the show?" Dave and I have radio time during lunch hour and sometimes after school.

"Yeah let's go," I say.

We get situated in the booth, which always feels a bit like a fish bowl with everyone staring at us from behind the glass doors, and Sav switches on the "Live" sign that signals the start of the show.

"Hellooo Degrassi, welcome to Guy Talk with your charming hosts Dave Turner-"

"And Adam Torres," I say finishing our intro.

"We'll be taking any calls or texts with questions about anything guy-related," Dave mentions.

"But until then," I say, "Dave, have you ever wondered if a girl likes you or not?" We often do this, start with a topic that gets the people interested before answering questions from the audience.

"Of course I have Adam, what guy hasn't? With all the mixed signals girls send my way it's hard to tell whether or not I'm friend zoned or if she actually digs me," Dave says.

"Ladies, a little advice, the straightforward approach works wonders for guys. It saves us all the trouble and lets us know where we stand," I say into the microphone.

"So Adam, what brought that question up?" Dave asks.

"Well there's this girl…" I say.

"Ooh, tell me and the audience more," Dave says wanting to get some nice gossip for the audience.

"Let's just say we've gone through the flirting stage, we've gone through the liking each other stage, and now we're in limbo," I answer.

"I feel ya, girls can be hot one minute and cold the next. I recommend playing a little hard to get, that way if she starts to work for your attention you know she likes you," Dave advises.

"Good idea, Dave. And with that, it looks like we'll be taking our first call," I say hitting the button that answers a line that was on hold.

"Hey caller #1, you're on Guy Talk with Dave and Adam," I say enthusiastically.

"Hey Adam, this questions for you," The unidentified girl says.

"I'm all ears," I say back, curious as to what I'm about to be asked.

"Can you give us a hint as to who you're crush is on?" The girl asks.

I pause for a moment, thinking about whether or not I should answer this question, when Dave nudges me in the shoulder reminding me that we're still on the air.

"Well since you asked so nicely, sure. Umm the hint is… Her name starts with a B," I say hoping I didn't give too much away.

Dave looks a little surprised that I answered and the girl seems pleased with the response, "That's great, thanks so much Adam!"

"Call back anytime," I say hanging up the call, "We're going to keep things moving by playing a song from my favorite band and one I happen to be a part of, Whisper Hug."

I flip the switch to start the song and take off my headphones.

"Dude, please don't tell me your falling for Becky again," Dave says.

"What do you mean?" I ask, already forgetting about the hint I just told to the entire school.

"Your crush's name starts with a B, it has to be Becky Baker, right?" Dave questions. Oh right, Becky. I hadn't even thought of her when I answered that girl's question.

"Don't worry Dave, it's definitely not Becky," I say laughing that he even thought I would go there again.

"Oh phew, no need to make that mistake twice," Dave sighs in relief, "So if it's not her, who is it?" He questions.

"The songs almost over, get ready to go live," Sav says to the both of us. Saved by the Sav.

We finish the rest of the show effortlessly.

"See you later Dave," I say leaving the booth before he can continue our interrupted conversation.


	4. Chapter 4

Bianca's POV

Drew and I went to lunch at The Dot but when we get back everyone is buzzing about Dave and Adam's radio show.

I overhear a few girls talking to each other next to my locker, "Do you think it's Becky?" Asks one girl. What is it with everyone and freaking Becky Baker?

"No way it has to be Bailey, I've seen her and Adam flirting in history class," says a different girl. I sigh inwardly, Adam can be such a flirt sometimes.

"It could be the new girl, Bella," says the first girl. What is with all these different girls? Adams not the player type.

My curiosity gets the best of me and I butt into their conversation, "Okay, what are you guys talking about?" I say with a bit of an edge. They look at me with a mix of confusion and fear so I soften my voice and try again, "Did I miss something during lunch?"

They both glance at each other and then back to me, "We were just talking about Adam's hint," the brunette says.

"A hint for what?" I ask curiously.

"He said he has a crush on a girl whose name starts with a B," says the blonde. As she says that they both have a look of recognition, realizing that my name started with a B too.

"Oh," Is all I manage to say before shutting my locker and walking away. It can't be Becky, I heard his conversation with Eli this morning about how he was done with her. So then who is it?

I walk into my computer science class and take a seat next to Drew. I sign into my Facebook account and see on my newsfeed that there's already a poll captioned "Adam's Crush" with a list of girl's names that start with a B. I notice I'm on it but no one has voted that it's me. Most votes have gone to Becky Baker.

Drew messages me, "Have you seen this poll about Adam? – DTorres18"

I type a quick message back, "Yeah. – Bianca17"

Drew types out a response, "Who knew my brother was so popular with the ladies? – DTorres18"

I tease, "Maybe he could give you some pointers (; – Bianca17"

I hear Drew chuckle at that, "Why would I need pointers when I already have the hottest girl in school? – DTorres18" A smile spreads across my face when I read his message. Drew can be cute when he wants to be.

Before I can respond, Drew sends another message, "So have you thought about my offer for this weekend? – DTorres18" To be honest, I really hadn't thought about it. My thoughts have been a little preoccupied with his brother.

Good thing it's easy to fake enthusiasm over messaging, "Of course, I can't wait! Xxx – Bianca17" I'm not, not looking forward to it. It just doesn't seem like a priority right now.

The rest of the day blows by but the buzz on Adam hasn't died down. I don't know why so many seniors have such a vested interest in Adam's love life but nonetheless he was talked about in my English class and my Math class.

One girl actually came up to talk to me about it.

_Flashback:_

_I was sitting in my English class, buried in a book that the class was supposed to have finished by now, when a girl named Beatrice started talking to me. _

_"You're dating Drew Torres, right?" She asks._

_"What's it to you?" I reply. I hate when people try to nosey in on my personal life._

_"Well I was just wondering if that means you hang around Adam too," She continues._

_"Sometimes I guess," I say trying to sound indifferent. _

_"Has he ever mentioned me? Like I know we don't talk a lot but he carried my books for me one time and he's just super sweet and funny. Do you think you could find out if-"_

_"Listen, I'm nobodies' cupid," I interrupt. I continue to say, "Adam's never mentioned you so you should probably give up," I say glaring at her. _

_That shut her up and she left to sit back down next to her friends. _

_End Flashback_

It's actually starting to annoy me how much girls keep talking about Adam like he's a piece of meat. Half of them haven't even met him and the other half just want him because his admission over the radio has made him momentarily popular. It's not that I find it hard to believe that someone could reciprocate feelings for Adam, it's just that I don't think any of these girls have genuine intentions.

I round the corner to my locker and stop in my tracks. Becky and Adam are standing really close to each other while talking and laughing. I have half the mind to go and interrupt their conversation, but I have no good reason to talk to Adam and it would end up making me look foolish. So scratch that, I'll just ignore it.

But I guess that solves the mystery of Adam's crush. The rest of the girls in school will be crushed.

I strut up to my locker and start to put my books away when I feel a pair of arms go around my waist.

"Hey babe," Drew says into my ear. Perfect, he's just what I need to push my thoughts of Adam out of my mind.

"We still on for tonight?" I ask still searching for something in my locker.

"Sure, come over around 5?" He asks.

"I'll be there," I finally turn around and give him a long kiss. I can feel him smiling while we're kissing and his smile makes me smile.

…..

Adam's POV

"Alright, I'll catch you later Becky," I say smiling at her as she turns to walk away. Well that conversation wasn't half as bad as I'd thought it'd be.

Eli finds me at my locker, "What were you and Becky talking about?"

I shrug, "Nothing in particular, we were just joking about our Chemistry teacher's toupee falling off in class today," I start laughing just thinking about it.

"She didn't bring up the whole radio thing?" Eli asks.

"Nope, in fact she's probably the only girl I've talked to today that didn't ask who my mystery girl was," I say.

"She probably thinks it's her," Eli responds.

"Nah, she knows we're over," I say. Are we really over? I mean, feelings don't just go away.

"Well that may be the case, but the whole school has voted on a poll put up on Facebook and Becky is winning," Eli says.

"What? People are voting on it? Geez, this has gotten a little out of hand. Tomorrow on the radio I'll have to clear some things up," I say. The school seems to be in an uproar trying to figure out who my mystery girl is. Since I admitted that I liked someone on the radio, girls have definitely taken more notice of me. I've gotten numbers from three different B girls just this afternoon, Bethany, Brittany, and Brooke.

I'm walking to my car with Eli when out of nowhere a girl walks up and slides her number into my back pocket, "I'm Blair, give me a call," She whispers into my ear. And just like that she walks away. I guess that makes four numbers. I can't help but fight the grin that spreads across my face when I think about all the attention I've been getting. It's a real confidence booster.

Eli is just staring in disbelief, "Dude I can practically hear the sound of panties dropping when you walk down the halls," Eli says.

I laugh at that, "Yeah I'm a real ladies man," I say sarcastically.

"For real though Adam, this radio thing has girls all over you," Eli says playfully jealous.

We're sitting on the front steps of the school when I pull out the four numbers I've gotten today, "Alright Eli, pick one, anyone," I say holding them up like I have cards in my hand.

Eli grabs the one on the far left and reads it, "Blair, with a squiggly heart next to her name. Is that the girl we just ran into?"

"Blair it is," I reach for my phone and enter her number, "What should my text say?" I ask Eli.

"I don't know," He says unhelpfully.

"Come on Eli, you're the writer, you're supposed to be good with words," I say.

"Okay give me the phone," He says, so I pass him my phone not really thinking of the potential consequences that could come from giving Eli free reign over my phone. "Done," He says, passing me the phone back.

I go to my messages and see he sent Blair a text saying, "U free 2nite?"

"Wow Eli, you really dazzled me with those words," I say heavily sarcastic, "You don't think that was being a little straight forward? You didn't even sign my name," I criticize.

He just huffs, "Everybody's a critic."

My phone vibrates and I look down to see that she already replied, "Yes, ur place?"

I reply, "Sure, come over around 5," and I text her my address too. Did I just set up a date? I need to get home and get ready. Chances are the basement is a mess so I should tidy that up too.

Eli interrupts my thoughts, "Hey wait, isn't hanging out with another girl counterproductive to getting your actual crush to like you?"

"What actual crush?" I ask.

"The mystery B girl," Eli says.

"Dude that was just some random letter that popped in my head in the heat of the moment. I didn't want to disappoint the listeners. There is no B girl," I say.


	5. Chapter 5

I say goodbye to Eli and head toward the parking lot. I see Bianca standing there leaning against her passenger side door, similar to the situation this morning, but instead I don't think I'll squeeze my way between the two cars until she moves.

She sees me getting closer and says, "My car isn't starting, do you have jumper cables?"

"Hey to you too Bianca," I say, "and no I don't have cables in the car." She doesn't seem to like that answer as a frustrated look crosses her face.

"Great, I guess I'll have to wait till my mom can pick me up," She says, not really directing the comment toward me.

"Just let me give you a ride to my house and we'll grab the jumper cables," I offer.

She just looks at me contemplatively for a second before mumbles, "Okay," and brushes past me to reach the passenger seat of my car. I guess she decided I was harmless.

…..

Bianca's POV

It's probably not smart to be alone with Adam, especially since I've spent half my day thinking about him, but I really didn't want to wait around for my mom. It's nice of Adam to offer to drive me though. Then again, I wouldn't expect anything less, he's nothing if not a gentleman. I notice he's smiling, is he thinking about me? Doubtful. Why would I be on his mind? He's probably thinking about Becky. I wonder what they were talking about after school.

Curiosity gets the best of me, "What are you smiling about?" I ask a little too aggressively.

"What?" he asks, "Oh it's nothing," he quickly recovers.

"It's not nothing, tell me," I say more playfully this time. Oh god, am I flirting?

He smirks, "I'm just thinking about tonight." Does he know I'm coming over tonight?

"What's happening tonight?" I ask innocently.

"Uh some girl is coming over," He says casually like this happens to him all the time.

"What girl?" I ask noticing my tone changed from friendly to jealous.

He glances over at me, probably confused by my sudden change in attitude. I hope he doesn't think I'm bipolar. He continues the conversation, "Her name is Blair. I think she's a senior."

I do my best to suppress a gag. I know Blair, she's a pretend goody two shoe but a slut behind closed doors. Those girls are the worst kind because they're just a bunch of hypocrites who can't get off their high horses.

He notices my disapproval, "What? Is she bad news?" Adam asks.

"She's a slut," Is all I say back.

He just shrugs, "No worries, not like I'm trying to wife her up or anything." This is a different Adam. I've never known him to be a no-strings-attached kind of guy. I always pictured him as a hopeless romantic, maybe all this attention has gone to his head.

"So what? You're just going to hit it and quit it?" I ask in disbelief.

"Maybe, I haven't really thought about it," He answers casually. He doesn't seem bothered at all that he's sounding like a player.

We don't talk for the rest of the drive, I don't need to hear more about Adam's potential conquests.

…..

Adam's POV

I figured I'd try out Dave's "play hard to get" advice on Bianca. Not that I like her or anything, I just know I need the practice now that I have all these girls coming after me. It wasn't as hard as I'd thought it would be, it's all about playing it cool. The key to confidence is indifference.

I think it might have worked too, I mean, she was asking a lot of questions like she was interested in my love life or something.

We pull up to my house and I park in the driveway. As we reach the front door I slide in front of Bianca to open the door for her. She hesitates for a second, but walks in anyway.

"I'll go grab the cables," I say heading off toward the direction of the garage.

"Don't worry about it," Bianca says quickly, "Uh, I mean Drew can help me when he gets home."

"Alright," I shrug, "I guess you can just chill downstairs," I say heading upstairs toward my bedroom.

"Wait, aren't you going to hang out with me?" She asks with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Nah, I need to tidy up my room for Blair," I say suggestively winking at her.

She laughs at that, "You really think you're going to get that lucky?" She says teasingly.

"Better to be safe than sorry," I tease back and finish climbing the stairs to my bedroom.

Alright its 3:44, I have over an hour to get things ready. I make my bed, pick up the stray clothes all over my room and put them into the hamper, and throw away all the empty pop cans in my room. Looks better already, much better.

I glance at the clock again, 4:12. I take a quick shower, brush my teeth, and gel my hair. Next, I walk straight into my closet. I put on my binder, slide on a black wife beater over it, and pull on black boxers. I grab a button up shirt and blue jeans and walk out of my closet laying the outfit on the bed.

"Is that really what you're going to wear?" I jump at the sound of Bianca's voice. I turn around and see her standing in the doorway.

"Aren't you supposed to be downstairs?" I ask slightly irritated from being surprised.

She shrugs, "I got bored." She walks over to the outfit I laid on my bed and picks up the shirt and shakes her head disapprovingly, "No, gross. Burn this." I thought it was a nice plaid button up, since when did Bianca become a fashion expert? She walks into my closet and comes back with a red V-neck and a white T-shirt. "Put this on," She says holding up the white shirt to me.

"I can dress myself," I say while putting on the white shirt she suggested.

"I can dress you better," She retorts, "Now this," She says handing me the red V-neck. I slide that shirt over the white one.

I move to put on my jeans but she stops me, "Nope," She says grabbing the jeans out of my hands and walks back into my closet. It takes her a minute but she comes out holding black jeans and a pair of white Vans. She just hands them to me without saying anything.

I struggle trying to get dressed in front of her. She's literally just watching me as I slide into these jeans and tie my shoes, her  
gaze makes it hard to focus on the task at hand.

"Better?" I ask, taking a quick spin so she can get a look at the complete outfit.

"Much," She says back. She's standing closer than I realized. With her only a step away from me I can smell the vanilla perfume again. She has a triumphant smile on her face, clearly pleased from dressing me to her liking.

She's about to say something before she gets interrupted by the doorbell. I take a quick glance at the clock and see that it's only 4:43.

"Must be Blair," I say brushing past her.


	6. Chapter 6

We exit my bedroom and head downstairs. Bianca moves toward the staircase that leads to the basement while I open the front door.

I hardly get the door open before Blair jumps on me and wraps her arms around my neck, "I know I'm early but I couldn't wait to see you," She says still hugging me. Instinctively my hands go around her waist and I hug her back. I can feel her body completely pressed against mine and it's definitely hot.

I pull away and quickly check her out. She's wearing a light blue mini skirt and a white crop top, leaving very little to the imagination. In other words, she looks hot as fuck. Definitely fuckable. Should I be thinking about fucking her when she's standing right in front of me? Probably not.

I pull myself out of my thoughts long enough to say, "I'm glad you made it." I can't help but let a grin spread across my face. I have an incredibly hot girl in front of me and the night can only get better from here.

I quickly remember my manners, "Can I get you something to drink?" I offer.

"Water would be great," She says smiling at me.

I smile back, "No problem." I head over to the fridge and grab three waters. "Let's head downstairs," I say nodding toward the stairs that lead to the basement.

"Hey Bee, I grabbed you a water," I say handing it to her as she sits on the couch, "Oh and Blair, this is Bianca," I say getting the introductions out of the way.

Ignoring Bianca, Blair turns to me and says, "I thought we'd be alone," in a pouty tone.

I just shrug, not really wanting to deal with a pouty girl.

…..

Bianca's POV

Feeling the tension in the room, I break the silence by saying "I can leave." I get up off the couch but Adam stops me.

He reaches out and grabs my wrist, "No don't," is all he manages at first, "I mean, Drew will be home soon and we can all hang out." His voice sounds indifferent but his eyes look like they're pleading for me to stay.

I sit back down on the couch and he sits next to me, his hand still holding onto my wrist.

I guess Blair doesn't like how cozy we look because she walks up to Adam and sits down on his lap, with her back facing me. He finally releases my wrist to wrap his arms around the girl in front of him.

I hear her giggle at his touch, Adam notices this too and he starts to tickle her. This couch is not big enough for the three of us.

She whispers something into his ear and I see a grin slowly appear on his face. This is getting annoying, not only am I not the 3rd wheel type, but especially with Adam. I don't want to see him getting it on with anyone, let alone Blair.

I hear more giggles and see more flirtatious touching and I've just about had it. I move to leave when I see Drew walking down the stairs. Thank god he's here.

"Hey babe," He says and gives me a hug.

"Hey, how was practice?" I ask hugging him back.

"Same old. Who's that with Adam?" He asks with a surprised look on his face. I think the surprise has less to do with the fact that Adam is with a girl and more to do with the fact that the girl he's with is now straddling him. Damn she moves fast. Slut. I hide my look of disgust by burying my face in Drew's chest.

Drew puts his arm around me and we walk over to the couch. Drew clears his throat to get Adam's attention.

Adam looks up, "Oh hey Drew," he says pushing Blair off of him and onto the seat next to him.

"You going to introduce me to your friend?" Drew says glancing between Adam and Blair.

"Drew, this is Blair," Adam says.

Drew takes his arm off of me to reach out and shake Blair's hand. She has a flirtatious smile on her face that I want to promptly smack off.

"So what do you guys want to do?" Adam asks.

"Watch a movie?" Blair suggests. Of course she wants to watch a movie, that just means she'll get to snuggle up next to Adam in the dark and do god knows what with him under a blanket with Drew and I only inches away.

"We always watch a movie," I say sort of pouting. I know the pout always wins Drew over.

"Yeah let's do something else," Drew agrees with me, "How about we play truth or dare?" He says with a grin on his face.

"I'm game," Blair says a little too eagerly.

"Sure why not," Adam says indifferently.

Drew looks at me waiting for an answer, "Fine," is all I say.

"Cool, who wants to go first?" Drew asks as we all take a seat on the floor.

"I will," Blair says. Of course eager beaver Blair would want to go first.

…..

Adam's POV

Blair looks right at me, "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," I say not wanting to back down from the challenge.

"I dare you to make me moan using only your mouth," She says flirtatiously.

"You're on," I say sliding closer to her.

I start by kissing her, running my tongue along her lower lip and gently biting. Her mouth slightly parts and I take advantage by sliding my tongue between her lips. I can tell she suppressed a moan right there. I leave her mouth and kiss my way down to her neck and start to suck gently. It hardly takes another second before I hear her moan.

I pull away, "Mission accomplished," I say with a smirk on my face.

Drew and Bianca are both staring. Drew looks like he wants to give me a high-five and a pat on the back. Bianca looks like she's about to slap someone.

"Nicely done, bro," Drew says proudly.

"Bianca," I say turning my attention toward her, "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth," she says. Damn, I was kind of hoping she would say dare.

"Who's the last person you fantasized about?" I ask. I don't know what made me think of that. I guess it was the way she was staring at me when I was getting dressed, I felt like she was undressing me with her eyes.

She takes a moment to think, "Umm… Drew." She says looking over at him and smiling. He smiles back at her. That didn't feel like an honest answer but I'm not going to call her out on it.

Our little game gets interrupted when Dallas and Katie walk downstairs.

"I didn't know we were having a little get together, mind if Katie and I join?" Dallas asks while sitting down and joining the circle on the floor.

"Sure, we were just playing a friendly game of Truth or Dare," Drew says.

"Aw yeaaah, my favorite game," Dallas says chuckling, "Whose turn is it?"

"Bianca's," I say.

She looks at me before saying, "I have a group dare. Everyone take off one piece of clothing." I take off the red V-neck leaving the white shirt still on. Drew takes off his shoes, lame. Dallas takes off his lettermen's jacket. Katie takes off her cardigan, revealing a tank top. Blair pulls off her crop top, leaving her in a red lacey bra. And Bianca takes off her white T-shirt, leaving her in only a black bra. We all throw our clothes in the center of the circle.

I can't help but stare at Bianca, she is so fucking sexy. I wonder how long before the bra comes off too.

Dallas pipes up, "I'll go. Adam, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," I choose again.

"I dare you to kiss the hottest girl in the room," Dallas says with a smirk on his face.

Acting on impulse, I lean over and kiss Bianca. It wasn't a long enough kiss that Drew would get upset, although Bianca looked a little shocked, and Blair was definitely pissed. Even though it was over too soon I can still feel her lips on mine, so soft and warm.

When it's over I just shrug it off like it was no big deal, "Okay, Katie, Truth or Dare?"

"Uh dare," she says hesitantly.

A grin spreads across my face, "I dare you to make out with the hottest girl in the room," I say emphasizing the make out part.

She looks at me like I'm such a typical guy for making her do this. She stands up and pulls Blair up with her. Blair looks at me before diving into a kiss with Katie which lasts only a minute but was definitely hot as fuck.

"Okay my turn," Katie says looking mischievous, "Adam, Truth or Dare," she says. I can tell Drew is getting annoyed that he keeps getting passed over during the game.

I bet Katie's out for revenge so I choose, "Truth."

"Who's the best kisser in this room?" She asks.

I start to say, "Well I haven't kiss you yet so-"

"So I guess I'm disqualified from your list of potential girls," She says interrupting me.

I just smirk, "I guess the best kisser in this room is… Blair," I say looking over at her. I said it more out of obligation than honesty. No reason to make things unnecessarily uncomfortable. She seems to like my answer because she slides over and gives me another kiss.

I didn't really notice Bianca's reaction but I doubt she cared about my answer.

"I just went, someone else can take my turn," I say.

Blair pipes up, "Dallas, Truth or Dare?" Finally someone picks someone other than me.

"Truth," Dallas says casually.

"How many times have you thought about Katie naked?" Blair asks. From looking at both Dallas and Katie's reactions, I can tell that Dallas has thought about it a lot and Katie hasn't thought about it at all.

"A few times," is all Dallas says. Because it got sort of uncomfortable no one pushes him for specifics. Quick to change the subject Dallas says, "Adam, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," I say. I doubt Dallas is going to throw anything challenging at me.

A/N: I write these late at night so I don't know if they're any good. Feel free to criticize or make suggestions. Reviews are always appreciated. Or PM if you want to make a suggestion that way.


	7. Chapter 7

Bianca's POV

This game has an unnerving potential to get out of hand. Since we're all kind of coupled up no one has really pushed the limits on crossing over between pairs. Except for Adam when he kissed me. It wasn't a major kiss or anything, but once I got a taste of Adam I knew I wanted to kiss him again. I'm relieved Drew didn't get upset. He's usually the jealous type, I guess he doesn't view Adam as competition.

Back to the game, "Adam, I dare you to go into the closet blindfolded, we're going to send someone in there to do whatever they want to you, and when you come out you have to guess who was in there with you." Dallas says. Wow talk about elaborate dares, at least it's interesting. I wonder how we're going to decide who goes into the closet with Adam.

Adam shrugs at this, Looking completely indifferent to the dare, he gets up and let's Dallas blindfold him. Dallas leads him over to the closet and shuts the door.

"Alright because Drew is his brother he's getting exempted from this dare, and since I was the one who dared him I'm exempt too. That leaves you three," Dallas says. He walks over to the mini-fridge and grabs a glass coke bottle. "We'll do it the old fashion way, spin the bottle," he sets the bottle down between us and spins it.

After a few rotations the bottle finally slows down and lands on… me. I immediately look up at Drew to make sure he's okay with this. He says, "It's okay Bee, it's just a dare."

I get up and walk toward the closet. I'm a little nervous, but a good kind of nervous, like butterflies in my stomach. I open the door and step in, shutting it behind me.

Before I can do anything Adam says, "We don't have to do anything, it's cool. We can just play it off when we leave the closet." So considerate of him.

I take a moment to ponder his words. He's still blindfolded and standing there waiting for me to make the first move. After another moment of silence, I decide to just go for it.

I crash my lips onto his. I need clarification. I need him to discern my feelings for me and this kiss is the only way to do that, well the only way that doesn't involve words.

For a moment his lips are unresponsive. Maybe he doesn't feel the things I feel, maybe I've been misinterpreting the whole thing, maybe I built this all up in my head.

And just when I think he's going to pull away, I feel his lips start to kiss me back. I feel his arms go around my waist. He's pulling me closer and I oblige, we're body to body and it feels incredible. It's exactly how I imagined it would feel, but better because it's the real deal.

I part my lips and his tongue immediately finds mine. The kiss is aggressive, with both of us fighting for control. I suppress a moan, not wanting anyone on the outside to hear.

He starts to really get into it and pushes me up against the closet door. His hands are roaming and groping my body as he starts to fiddle with my bra strap. My hands are tugging at the bottom of his shirt, silently asking if I can take it off. I want as much of him as I can get before this dream inevitably ends.

He quickly pulls off his shirt and his lips find mine again. He has one hand resting on my lower back and the other caressing the back of my neck, pulling me into a deeper kiss. I let a little moan slip, which only turns him on more.

He picks me up and presses me completely against the closet door as my legs wrap around his waist. He grinds into me and it feels like heaven, another moan slips. He moves his lips down to my neck and starts to suck. I bite my lip in order to prevent myself from completely losing it in this closet with Adam. Whatever will power I thought I had seems to be dissolving quickly.

Realizing that he might leave a hickey, I tilt his face back up toward mine. I wish I could look into his eyes right now. What would be staring back at me? Love? Lust? Desire? This break from kissing pulls me back into reality. Right outside this door is my boyfriend and our friends, I can't be doing this with Adam right now.

I softly push him off of me and unwrap my legs from him as he gently sets me on the floor. I can tell he's a little confused and disappointed when he realizes it's over.

I lean down and grab his shirt that we discarded only moments ago, "Here," I say handing it to him. I see a surprised look on his face. Oh shit, I definitely wasn't supposed to talk. He slides on the shirt and is about to say something but I'm already out the door. Shit I probably gave myself away in there. Stupid, stupid Bianca. Dammit, I guess I can always deny. But everyone here knows it's me, and now Adam knows.

Adam has his shirt back on when he follows me out of the closet. Everyone is staring, Drew looks a little pissed and Dallas has a stupid grin on his face. Blair looks like she wants to rip my eyes out and Katie looks amused by the whole thing. How long were we in there for? I hope I don't looks nearly as flustered as I feel.

Kissing Adam didn't clear anything up for me like I hoped it would. On the contrary, it made everything a thousand times more confusing.

Adam speaks first, "Can I take the blindfold off now?"

Dallas laughs, "Sure buddy," he says walking up to Adam and untying it.

Drew speaks up, "So Adam, did you have fun in there?" He says with an undertone of anger.

Adam shrugs indifferently, "It was alright." Wow, just alright? More like potentially amazing! Was he not in the same closet I was?

Blair seems to like that answer because she walks up to Adam and whispers something in his ear that has him grinning ear to ear. Drew also seems to calm down after hearing that.

"So," Dallas says, "Do you know who was in there with you?" Bringing us all back to the dare.

Adam quickly glances at me before turning his attention back to Blair. "Uh it was-"

"Boys, it's time for the girls to go home!" I hear Mrs. Torres shout from the top of the stairs.

I feel a sigh of relief after being interrupted. Before Adam can answer Katie, Blair, and I are heading up the stairs to the front door.

When we're outside Blair grabs my wrist and turns me around, "What did you do with Adam?" She asks demandingly. I can practically see the green in her eyes, full of jealousy and rage, completely directed at me.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I hiss back. I can out bitch this bitch any day.

"Stay away from him, you already have one Torres, no need to get your claws hooked in another one," She says letting go of me and walking away.

I have half a mind to storm after her and start something I know I can finish, but I remember that my car is still at school and I'll need a ride back.

I turn around, with my hand ready to knock, when the door opens.

A/N: Next couple chapters are already written but any suggestions or advice on where you want to see this story go are always welcome.


	8. Chapter 8

Adam's POV

It takes all of two seconds before I remember that I drove Bianca here today.

I'm about to tell Drew that Bianca will need a ride when he says, "Hey Dallas, want to play some Madden?"

"Hell yeah," Dallas says back as he grabs the controllers. Drew turns on the Xbox and before I can say anything they're both on the couch and focused on the game.

I guess I can just drive her. Part of me thinks it's a bad idea to be alone with her, but I don't want to be the type of guy that runs away from his problems. Besides, Bee will need a ride and Drew isn't going to want to do it.

I grab the keys where I left them and open the front door. I see Bianca with a fist in the air looking like she was about to knock

"Forget something?" I tease, while jiggling the keys.

"Yeah, can Drew take me back to school?" She says not wanting to play along.

"Drew's busy, will you settle for me as your chauffer?" I ask playfully.

She rolls her eyes, "Do I have a choice?"

"Nope," I say shutting the front door and walking toward the car. I open the passenger door for her before walking around to the driver side and getting in.

It's a quiet ride. Bianca's staring out the window and I have my focus directed toward the road. The silence lasts almost half the drive before I decide to test the waters.

"So…" I say. Not really a great conversation starter but it's all I could come up with. Bianca looks over at me but still doesn't say anything. "Did you have fun tonight?" I ask, hoping she doesn't think I'm only referring to the closet.

"It was alright," She says, emphasizing the alright and reiterating the same thing I said to Dallas when he asked me if I had fun in the closet.

Another minute passes before I remember something, "Shit I forgot the jumper cables," I say, "I'll just turn around."

"No it's fine, can you just take me home? I'll worry about the car tomorrow," Bianca says.

I nod, "Sure." I've only been to Bianca's a few times, because of Drew, but I think I remember the way.

I park the car in front of her place and say, "We're here." She nods like she heard me but doesn't move to get out. I'm not going to rush her or anything, but how long does she want to sit here in silence?

She practically reads my thoughts by saying, "I just need a moment." I can feel it, she's going to bring up the elephant in the room, or more correctly, the elephant in the closet. It looks like she's trying to work out the right words to say in her head. "I think we should talk about tonight," is all she says while looking down at her hands that are sitting in her lap.

"Or we could pretend it never happened," I offer. I don't really want to get into this, I know what she's going to say. She'll say it was a mistake and she'll ask me to keep it a secret from Drew. All of which I am willing to do for her. Nothing good would come from telling people. It would hurt Drew and piss off Bianca.

To my surprise she says, "We can't pretend it didn't happen, Adam." She finally looks up from her hands and her eyes meet mine. Her eyes are such a beautiful chocolate brown, I can almost get lost in them if she'd let me. I feel like I'm in a trance, trapped under the incandescent gaze of Bianca's eyes. She's the first to look away, "Look, we kissed-"

"We did more than just kiss," I interject, not really thinking about it. She sighs. I probably shouldn't have said that, it won't help make this conversation any easier.

"Did it mean anything to you?" She asks out of the blue. Is she asking because it meant something to her?

"Did it mean anything to you?" I ask the same question, not really wanting to be the first one to answer.

"I asked you first," She says. Good point.

"Yes, but I asked first after you asked me first, so I'm the most recent first person to ask," I say hoping to confuse her into answering the question.

She doesn't look confused at all, in fact she looks like she might actually answer the question. "Adam, tonight meant… the kiss meant…" she says trailing off into thought. I guess she can't find the right words to reject me.

"The kiss meant nothing, tonight meant nothing," I answer for her. Better for me to reject myself than let her do it. "I felt nothing, you were just someone I hooked up with," I say apathetically. It's funny, as soon as the words left my mouth I knew they weren't true. I usually don't like to lie, but I'm in no condition to put my heart on the line again, especially with a heart breaker like Bianca.

Her face looks unreadable. Maybe a mixture of relief, hurt, and sadness. I can't tell though because she's already turned her back to me by opening the car door, "Thanks for the ride," is all she says as she exits the car.

…..

Bianca's POV

After hearing what Adam had to say, I couldn't have gotten out of that car any faster. His word's hurt me more than I thought they would, mostly because it wasn't what I thought he was going to say. I guess my feelings are one-sided, he doesn't reciprocate anything for me which he made very clear tonight.

I barge into the house and head straight for my bedroom. I hear my mom knock on my door and say, "Honey, are you okay?" She sounds worried but I'm in no mood to appease anyone so I ignore her. I'm lying on my bed looking straight up at the ceiling. I try to clear my mind but thoughts of Adam fight their way into my head.

Most of my thoughts drift back to the closet. When we were kissing everything felt right. I thought my feelings were finally getting the validation they needed. Adam made me feel desired and treasured through his actions alone. He made me feel safe, secure, and maybe even loved. But all these feelings were a lie.

I can practically hear him say, "Tonight meant nothing… You were just someone I hooked up with." He doesn't want to be with me and he definitely doesn't love me. He only sees me as someone he hooked up with. This realization hits me harder than I expected and a tear starts to roll down my cheek. I quickly wipe it away, I hate feeling weak and vulnerable. Adam makes me feel weak and I hate it. I hate losing control. I'm promising myself right now never to let Adam make me feel this way again. If he wants to act like tonight was nothing, fine. Two can play at that game.

After making a resolution to completely ignore Adam and whatever feelings he makes me feel, I turn out my light and go to bed.

A/N: Reviews or PM's are still highly encouraged! This is your guy's story as much as mine, so if you want to have an influence of where this story heads then please provide input. No guarantee that I will accommodate the suggestions, but I will take them into consideration.


	9. Chapter 9

Adam's POV

Originally I thought I would keep the closet incident to myself, for both Bianca and mine's sake, but after another long restless night I decided to tell my best friend everything going on because all these mixed feelings were killing me.

I find Eli alone at his locker, "Can I talk to you?" I ask seriously.

"You done being mad at Clare? She called me last night worried that she overstepped her boundaries," He says, not addressing my question at all. I already forgot about the little blowout we had at lunch yesterday, it seems so long ago.

"Yeah, sorry, I overreacted. I'll find her later and apologize. I didn't mean to make her worry, I've just been on edge lately and I took it out on Clare," I say. Clare is usually quick to forgive so I'm not too worried about it.

He takes a second before saying, "Cool, thanks Adam" and pats me on the back. He continues, "So what'd you want to talk about?"

I don't even know where to begin, "What would you say if I told you I liked someone?"

"I would say great, go for it!" Eli says encouragingly.

"What if I told you it was Bianca?" I ask tentatively. I avoid eye contact because I know he's probably giving me a stern look.

"I would say you're stupid for falling for the girl that made your life hell," He says not holding back at all. That was kind of the response I thought I was going to get.

"Just hear me out for a sec," I plead. I just need someone to listen. I need Eli to understand where I'm coming from. If anything, I need him to talk some sense into me.

He shakes his head for a moment before saying, "Alright fine, explain to me why you like Bianca?"

Not entirely sure on how to answer that question, I decide the best way to explain myself would be to tell him everything that happened last night, sparing no details. When I finish story-telling, he has a surprised look on his face.

For a moment the guy part of him speaks up, "Dude, was it good? I mean, was Bianca as good as everyone says she is?" He asks with a stupid smirk on his face. I know a part of him, no matter how small that part might be, is happy for me that I got some. Hell, I'm happy that I got some.

I think back to the closet and a grin creeps up on my face, "She's better." From now on when I have to rate a girl, it will be on a scale of 1 to Bianca, that's how good she is.

Our bro moment, or broment, ends quickly when Eli switches from guy mode to concerned friend mode, "You know she's bad news though. Not to mention, she's dating your brother."

"She's dating him, she's not married to him," I point out, trying to down play the fact that I'm potentially stealing my brother's girl. I know everything I'm feeling definitely breaks the bro code, but all is fair in love and war, right?

"Fair enough, but did you like her before you two hooked up? Or are these feelings motivated by the fact that you got with a hot girl?" Eli asks. Fair question, I hadn't even really thought about it that way.

"I honestly don't know the answer to that. I might have liked her before we hooked up, but I'm so used to suppressing feelings that maybe I ignored my feelings for her too." Feelings are a tricky thing, they come when they're unwanted and they show up when least expected for people who you least expect. With Fiona and Becky, it was so much clearer. I knew I liked them. But with Bianca it's confusing. I know I shouldn't like her, and maybe that's part of the attraction in the first place, but a part of me feels like she could be the real deal. Then again, I always think that about every girl that I like. Wait, so does that mean I like her?

Eli jerks me away from my thoughts, "Trust me, you don't have feelings for her," He says confidently.

"Why do you say that?" I ask curiously. Maybe Eli knows something I don't.

"Because it shouldn't be this hard to decide if you like someone. Feelings are crystal clear. People don't always act on them, but people know what they feel when they feel it. Those who say otherwise are in denial. If you liked her, you would know." Eli says. Is it really that simple?

The bell rings, signaling the five-minute passing period. "Yeah you're probably right," I say as we head off into the direction of our first period class, Chemistry.

People file into the classroom but I can't help but notice Bianca isn't one of them. Where is she? The bell rings again, meaning that class has officially started. She could be running late, or maybe she skipped, or maybe she's sick. I know it's not my place to worry, but I can't help it.

Class finishes up and as I'm heading out Becky grabs me.

"Can we talk?" She asks. Her voice didn't give it away but she looks a little nervous. Am I making her nervous?

"Sure, what's up?" I say.

She looks like she's about to say something but then closes her mouth. She opens it again to speak but changes her mind. After doing that a few more times she finally says something, "Uh, how do you think you did on the test?" That cannot be what she wanted to talk to me about.

"Not too well, I didn't study last night and I couldn't focus today," I reply. During the entire class I was thinking about Bianca and wondering if she was okay. "But that's not really what you wanted to talk about, was it?" I ask, encouraging her to just get it out there, whatever it is she wants to say.

"No it's not. Uh, I was actually wondering if you had a date to the upcoming spring formal. I mean I know it's not for another 2 weeks, and usually the guy asks the girl, not that I abide by gender stereotypes, not that it would be a stereotype if you asked me, and I mean I'm not necessarily asking you either, unless you want to go with me, then I would go with you, but you don't have to go with me, I thought I would at least ask if-" Becky always rambles when she's nervous. It's something I always found cute about her. I'm happy I still make her nervous.

I cut her off, "Becky, slow down. To answer your question, I don't have a date. Whisper Hug is playing and I didn't want to get a date because I will probably end up ditching her half the night." She looks happy that I don't have a date, but disappointed that I don't plan on asking anyone.

"Oh okay. I hope you change your mind about the no-date thing," She says smiling at me before turning to walk down the hallway.

I know if I don't get a move on I'll be late for class but for some reason I find myself walking toward the parking lot. I see Bianca's car parked in the same spot it was yesterday. I hear the bell ring, making it official that I was late for class. Might as well make turn that tardy into an absence.

I don't know what motivates me, or why I'm driving over to Bianca's right now, but something is compelling me to check on her. It's a fast drive with few cars on the road, and before I comprehend what I'm doing and why I'm doing it, I find myself parked in front of Bianca's house.

Not entirely knowing how to proceed, I get out of the car and walk up to her front door. Should I knock? Maybe this was a bad idea. What am I doing here? She probably doesn't want to see me anyways. I decide that coming here was a bad idea after giving myself a little anti-pep talk. Before I make a move to leave, the front door opens and I see Bianca standing there in PJs.

She looks so cute, even without all the make-up and enticing clothes. Immediately I feel a sense of relief overcome me when I see that she's alright and I know that coming here was the right thing to do. It was where I needed to be.

A/N: Please review! PS. Did anyone watch the season 12 finale of Degrassi? Sadly there was no Adam in it but it was still a good episode, especially for Eclare (;


	10. Chapter 10

Bianca's POV

I skip a day of school to avoid Adam, but lo and behold he's standing right in front of me. At my house. While I'm wearing pajamas. Seriously, what is he doing here? In no mood to talk to the guy that rejected me last night, I slam the door. Screw you, Adam.

I hardly take two steps back to my bedroom before I hear loud knocking. Doesn't he know what it means when a girl slams the door in your face?

I turn around and open the door again, "What do you want, Adam?" I say harshly.

"Are you sick?" He asks concerned. Well that was random. Do I look sick? Is that what he's trying to tell me?

"No," I say like it was a stupid question to begin with.

"Then why aren't you at school?" He questions. Why does he think this is any of his business?

"I don't have my car and Drew couldn't take me to school because of morning practice, so I decided to take a mental health day," I reply quickly, not wanting Adam to take up anymore of my time then he already has.

"Oh, you could have texted me for a ride" he says back. You're the last person I would want to ask for help.

"Are we done here?" I ask, already starting to shut the door.

"Wait!" He shouts, sticking his hand between the door and the frame.

"What?" I say annoyed that he's still bothering me.

"Uh, I can take you to school now, if you want," he offers.

"Adam, can't you tell when you're not wanted? Just leave," I say adamantly, shutting the door for good this time. I almost expect to hear another knock, but a minute passes and nothing. I look out the window and don't see his car, he must've taken my advice and left. Well good, I didn't want him here.

How dare he show up here and pretend to be all concerned about me. What was he trying to pull? He made it clear last night that he didn't give a damn about me. He makes me so crazy, I can't stand it! Calm down, Bianca. Don't give the guy the satisfaction of your time or thoughts. He is none of your concern. I relax and push all thoughts of Adam out of my mind.

I get comfy on the couch and turn on a pre-recorded episode of The Bachelor. It's my guilty pleasure. I happen to be a closet romantic.

I end up falling asleep on the couch only to wake up to another knock on my door. I glance at the clock, its 12:12 in the afternoon. Who the hell is on my front porch? I rub the sleep out of my eyes and go to answer the door, still in my pajamas. I guess I'm not getting dressed today.

I'm not entirely surprised to see Adam standing there, again, "What now?" I ask just as harsh as I was this morning.

"I brought you lunch," he says holding up a to-go bag from The Dot. Okay, that was kind of sweet of him. Plus, I haven't eaten all day and I love food from The Dot. No Bianca! Adam doesn't get to worm his way back in just because he made a nice gesture, probably his attempt at a peace offering.

"No thanks, I ate," I lie, starting to shut the door on him for the third time today.

"Wait Bee," he says stopping me from shutting the door again, "Can we talk?"

"Nothing to talk about," I fire back, "Now move so I can shut the door," I order.

"At least take the food," he says handing me the bag.

"Fine," I say grabbing the bag and shutting the door, again!

"Wait!" He says for the billionth time today. I'm done waiting Adam. No more waiting for you to figure out your feelings, or make a move, or sweep me off my feet. No more waiting for you to realize that I might be the girl for you.

"What do you want from me, Adam?" I ask. This boy can't take a hint.

He pauses for a moment, "I don't know," is all he manages to say. That's what I thought. He has nothing to say to me and I have nothing to say to him.

"Exactly," I respond by shutting the door in his face for hopefully the last time today.

I look out the window to watch him climb into his car and drive off. Starting now, I can officially enjoy an Adam free day. I'll start by digging into this delicious food.

…..

Adam's POV

Bianca's words, "What do you want from me?" are still echoing in my head. What do I want? I need to figure that out and soon.

I pull into school and see Eli and Clare sitting outside on a bench. I grab my backpack from the back seat and walk over to them.

"Hey where have you been?" Eli asks. After our little talk this morning, I doubt I should tell him the truth.

"I had to run home and grab some homework," I respond casually. I know I shouldn't lie to my best friends, but it's either lie or be given a lecture. And since they used up their one lecture a week by scolding me yesterday, lying was the only option. I sit down on the opposite side of Clare and Eli, "Hey Clare, about yesterday," I say changing the subject, "I'm sorry I overreacted, I know you're just looking out for me."

She seems to accept my apology, "That's okay Adam, its water under the bridge."

That was easy. I fixed my friendship problems with Clare, I can do the same with Bianca, right? I mean technically we weren't friends to begin with, but maybe I want to be her friend. Maybe that's the best way to figure things out, by befriending her. I know I want to look out for her and be there for her, and that's what a friend does? Right? Yeah, that sounds about right. So it's decided, I'll be Bianca's friend. How hard could that be? Well sort of difficult, considering what happened yesterday and the fact that she's not really talking to me right now. It might be an uphill battle, but she's worth the fight.

Deep in thought, I don't notice Blair take a seat next to me. It's the strange looks on Eli and Clare's faces that make me look at the person sitting next to me, "Hey Blair," I say with surprise in my voice.

"Hey babe," Blair says back while kissing me on the cheek and scooting closer. What is she doing? I'm getting the eerie feeling that she's a clinger. Eli and Clare look surprised when she calls me babe.

"Blair, this is Eli," I say nodding toward him, "and Clare," I say nodding toward her. I don't know if I'm doing it on purpose or subconsciously, but I find myself leaning away from Blair without even realizing it.

"Hi are you guys Adam's friends? That's so cool. I really wanted to meet his friends," she says as if I'm introducing her to the family or something.

"Uh are you Adam's girlfriend?" Clare asks, clearly confused with the situation.

"No," I answer for Blair. I don't want to lead this girl on, especially if she's acting this way after one date, which wasn't even a date. I see a hurt look on Blair's face which shouldn't bother me, but it makes me feel a little bad, "Uh, I mean we're friends," I say trying to salvage the already bad situation.

"We're a little more than friends," she flirtatiously says to me, extending her neck to show the hickey I gave her last night.

"It was just a dare, Blair," I say as if that justifies everything.

"You weren't complaining last night," she whispers in my ear, resting her hand on my thigh.

Remembering that Eli and Clare are right across the table, I redirect the conversation toward them, "Hey Eli, you had that thing you needed my help with right?" I ask, hoping he can get me away from Blair.

"What thing?" He asks, not understanding to play along. I kick him under the table and he catches on, "Oh! The thing! Right. Yeah let's go so you can help me with that thing," he says not very smoothly.

Clare shoots us a glare that says "don't leave me here with her," but Eli doesn't see it and I just shrug in reply. Clare's going to have to be a team player right now and take the bullet for me.

"Bye babe," Blair says to me. She must be dense if she didn't notice that whole thing was my attempt at getting away from her.

I give her a weird look for calling me babe and say, "Catch you later, Clare. Bye Blair," while emphasizing the bye part. Eli kisses Claire on the cheek before getting up from the table.

"What was that about?" Eli questions once we're out of earshot.

"You saw how clingy she was being," I answer.

"Yeah because she likes you," he says like it's a no brainer.

"But I don't like her," I retort.

"What? Yesterday you seemed to be into her," Eli says.

"I don't know what's changed since last night, but Blair just doesn't do it for me," I say.

"Does this have anything to do with Bianca?" Eli questions. It's a fair question. Yesterday I was all over the idea of hooking up with Blair, but now I want nothing to do with her. And the only thing that's happened since yesterday was the closet ordeal.

"Maybe, I'm not sure," I say honestly. If I need advice, which I definitely do, than I have to be truthful with Eli.

"I thought you said you didn't like her," he says referring to our conversation this morning. To be clear, I never said that. Eli said it and I didn't disagree with him.

"I don't know, the closet thing changed everything," I say.

"Do you want to date Bianca?" Eli asks. I don't even know if dating her would be possible. Dating her would mean ruining my relationship with Drew, which would really suck. Even though I don't always get along with my brother, I love him to death and I would do anything for him. To deliberately hurt him like this would be unforgivable.

After thinking for a moment I say, "No. I just want to be friends." It sounds lame, but it's true.

"Then be her friend," Eli says, acting like it's a simple solution.

"I don't know how. She's not exactly talking to me right now," I say with an undertone of sadness. I wish she was talking to me, I already miss her.

"Why? What'd you do?" Eli asks.

"Nothing that I can think of. But when I saw her today she literally slammed the door in my face, twice," I say recalling the two visits to her house earlier today.

"When did you see her?" Eli asks, knowing she wasn't in our first period today. Shit, looks like I just got caught in a lie. I can practically see the guilty look on my face. "Is that where you really were today?" He questions.

"Yeah. I thought she might be sick so I wanted to check up on her," I say casually. Eli has a baffled look on his face. "What?" I ask innocently, "I'd do the same for you," I say trying to play this whole thing off as no big deal.

"I doubt that," he says back.

"Anyways, that's not the point. Point is, she's not talking to me," I say hoping to get some golden advice from Eli.

"Maybe try doing something nice for her," Eli suggests.

"I already did. It didn't work," I say.

"What'd you do?" He asks.

"I brought her lunch today," I reply.

"Then do something even nicer, show her you're willing to put in a little effort. I mean, don't make any grand gestures. Just do something nice and friendly so she knows where you stand," Eli advises.

"Okay. I can do that," I say confidently. In fact, I already know what I'll do for her. It's nothing huge, but it's helpful and requires a little effort on my part. I think she'll appreciate it.

A/N: Review please! It helps a lot!


	11. Chapter 11

After school I head out to the parking lot with Dallas to ask him for help.

"Can you do me a favor?" I throw out there mid conversation.

"Sure thing Torres, what's up?" He says willingly. Dallas always has my back. He never questions anything, he's a go with the flow kind of guy.

"Do you think you could hotwire Bianca's car for me?" I ask. I decided to ask him because one, he's good with cars, and two, he won't think twice about helping me.

"Are you asking because I'm black?" He asks with a straight face.

"What? No! Of course not. You're just good with cars so I thought-" I spit out.

Dallas cuts me off before I can apologize, "Relax Adam, I'm messing with ya!" he jokes, "And yes I can help you with Bianca's car," he says, still laughing as we reach Bianca's car.

I reach for the car's door handle, hoping that it's unlocked. Hotwiring is one thing, but I don't really want to resort to breaking one of her windows just to get into the car. That being said, if I can find a guy who knows how to hotwire, I think I could find a guy that knows how to break into a car without actually breaking anything.

Much to my relief, I pull on the handle and the car door swings open. Phew! That's one less thing to worry about.

"One sec Dallas, we're going to have to set up jumper cables first," I inform him, "Bianca said she couldn't start it yesterday."

I leave Dallas waiting at Bianca's car as I leave to retrieve my car. When I pull into the spot next to Bianca's I see that Dallas already has the car running.

Dallas is standing next to the idling car, "Problem solved," he says.

"What? I thought the battery was dead," I say slightly confused as to how he got the car to start.

"Nope, it started right up," he confirms. Weird, why would Bianca lie about that?

"Hmm, alright. Well thanks," I say while tossing him the keys to my car, "You and Drew can take the car."

"Cool, see you at home," Dallas says while walking back to the school.

I get into Bianca's car and make my way over to her place for the third time today. Hopefully it doesn't end the same way, with her slamming the door in my face.

…..

Bianca's POV

I'm lying on my bed waiting for my nails to dry when I hear a knock on the door. I almost don't believe it. There's no way Adam's stupid enough to show up here again. It has to be someone else.

I swing the door open only to see Adam standing there, "Seriously? Are you stupid or do you enjoy getting doors slammed in your face?"

"Both," he jokes.

"Good then let me do you a favor," I say while starting to shut the door on him.

"Wait," he says while blocking the door with his foot.

"What now?" I ask clearly angry.

"I just thought I'd mention that your car is parked in your driveway," he says proudly. How did he get my car here? I'm almost positive the keys are sitting on the kitchen counter.

"You brought my car?" I ask clearly surprised, a smile threatening to spill onto my face. That was really sweet of him.

"Yeah, I want to see you in school tomorrow," he says with a smile. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to see him too. This no Adam deal I made with myself is not going to last, especially if he keeps doing nice things like this.

"You didn't have to do that," I say.

"But I did it anyways," he says and I finally allow myself to smile back at him, "Well I should get going," he says while turning to walk away.

"Wait," I find myself saying. Adam turns around waiting for me to say something. I'm not entirely sure why I told him to wait, I just know I don't want him to leave yet. "Uh how are you going to get home?" I ask.

"I'll walk," he answers. I can't let him walk the whole way home.

"That's ridiculous, I can drive you," I offer, "Just let me change." I say turning around but leaving my door open.

…..

Adam's POV

I don't know why she feels the need to change, she looks great all dressed down like that. I'd even be willing to say that her natural look is even more beautiful than when she dresses to impress. What am I saying? Bianca looks great all the time.

Not really sure whether or not I'm welcome in her house, I just hover at the door. She didn't exactly tell me to come inside, and I don't want to make her mad, so I'll just wait here.

Bianca reads my mind, "You don't have to wait outside," I hear her voice from inside the house.

I hesitantly step in the house. It's cozy. Not as big as my place but it feels homey. I can smell a scented candle burning in the living room, the walls are painted a warm, welcoming color, and I hear music playing from another room. All in all, I like it here, not that I'll ever be welcomed back.

Not really sure how long this is going to take her, I take a seat on the couch. 20 minutes later, Bianca walks out wearing shorts and a red tank top, her hair is curled, and she has make-up on.

I stand up as she walks over to me, "Get all dressed up for me?" I ask teasingly.

"You wish," she says playfully while slapping me lightly on the arm, "let's get going," Bianca says while walking to the door. Just for a moment I can't help but watch her leave. It's a nice view. Any idiot with eyes can see that she's hot as fuck. "You coming?" She says turning around to look at me. An amused look appears on her face followed by a smile, she definitely caught me staring.

"Yeah, right behind you," I say catching up with her.

We get into the car and she asks the obvious question, "So how'd you start the car?"

"I have my ways," I say mysteriously. She just smirks but doesn't say anything back. The rest of the car ride is pretty silent, with the exceptions being small talk about school or Drew. She puts the car into park in front of my house but I don't move to leave. She's looking at me expectantly, waiting for me to either leave or say something, "So Bee, I've been thinking," I say starting off this conversation slowly. I rather take this conversation slow so I can gauge her reactions as it goes.

"About what?" Bianca asks.

"These past few days," is all I say. She has a serious look on her face now that I've brought up the topic but doesn't say anything. "I know it's been weird between us but I want to change that," I say.

"Change how?" She asks cautiously.

"I think we should be friends," I propose, offering her a reassuring smile. She looks a little surprised by my suggestion.

"Friends," she says not really as a question or a statement. She thinks on it for a moment before saying, "I like the way that sounds," she says offering me her own smile.

"Good, friends it is. Well, thanks for the ride, friend," I say opening the car door to leave.

"No problem, friend," she says back to me. That worked out better than I thought it would. Fixing this whole Bianca situation lifts a weight off my shoulder. I already feel immensely better knowing that we're okay with each other.

The next day at school, I'm feeling good about going to my 1st period class. I'll see Bianca, we'll be nice to each other, and all will be good in the world.

"Hey Bee," I say walking past her while she's at her locker.

She gives a little wave and says, "Hey Adam," back to me.

She found me during lunch to ask, "Can I borrow your notes from yesterday's class?"

"Of course," I say handing her my chemistry binder.

"Thanks," she says genuinely grateful, "I'll find you later to return the notes."

After school, since everything was going so well, I found her at her locker and asked her if she wanted to come over, "Want to hang out until Drew gets home?"

Not missing a beat, she says, "Sure that sounds like fun."

This friendly banter and occasional hanging out continued for the rest of the week. It was easier than I thought it would be. Being her friend feels nice, I get to be around her, I get to talk to her, and there's no more awkward moments. We never declared topics that we won't talk about, but there's an unsaid rule that we don't talk about our relationships. I never mention any girls that I've been texting and she doesn't talk about Drew unless it's in a platonic sense. Which is why it makes this looming weekend the new elephant in the room. I know what her and Drew are going to do this weekend, she knows what they'll be doing, but neither of us have brought it up.

It's Thursday after school, Bianca and I are chilling out downstairs watching a movie. She's lounging on the couch and I'm on the floor when Dallas walks down the stairs.

"Mind if I join you?" Dallas asks while plopping down on the floor next to me.

"Course not," I say, "Practice finish early?" I ask.

"Yeah, the Zamboni broke down and the ice got too slushy to play in," Dallas answers.

"Shh," Bianca says from behind us, "I'm watching the movie."

Dallas turns his attention toward her, "Bee what are you doing here? I don't see Drew around."

"I'm hanging out with Adam," she says casually. Dallas looks at me but I give him and indifferent shrug.

"We're friends," I say to him as an explanation.

He looks back at Bianca, "So Bee, you excited for this weekend?" Dallas says suggestively.

"Shh," is all she says back while making an effort to look directly at the TV.

Dallas grabs the remote and pauses the movie, "Come on Bee, we're all friends here, right?"

"Sure," she says.

"So then tell us, are you going to get with my boy?" Dallas asks. Oh god, I wish Dallas didn't bring this up. Is it too obvious if I get up and leave? Probably.

Bianca notices my pained reaction, "Dallas just because you don't have a sex life doesn't mean you can hear about mine."

"Oh so there's something to tell?"

"I didn't say that," Bianca says.

"But you inferred it," Dallas retorts.

"I'm going to get something to drink, want anything guys?" I ask getting up to leave. That's my go to excuse to escape shitty situations.

"I'm good," Dallas says.

"I'll come with you," Bianca offers.

"No it's cool, I can grab what you want," I offer trying to deter her from following me up the stairs.

"No I'm going to get a snack too, so I'll come with you," Bianca says already behind me as I'm walking up the stairs.

As we reach the kitchen, neither of us our talking and there's a solemn mood in the air. I think we both realized that this weekend was an off-limits topic. Bianca has a sad look on her face that I can't help but notice.

"What's wrong Bee?" I ask, hoping that it doesn't have to do with this weekend.

"Just thinking about this weekend," she answers. Crap, we're going to have to continue this conversation.

"What about it?" I ask in a disinterested tone. I know I should sound more caring, but I don't want to encourage her to talk about this.

"I don't know, I might be having second thoughts," she replies honestly. We must be better friends than I thought because it sounds like we're going to have a serious conversation about her feelings. The sinking realization that I've officially been friend-zoned kind of bums me out. I know that's what I asked for, but now that it's a reality, I don't know if I like it.

"Second thoughts about what?" I ask. If there's anything I've learned about girls, it's that if you keep asking them questions they will continue to talk.

"About whether or not Drew is the one I want to be with. And I don't want to go through with this weekend if I'm not sure about Drew," Bianca says not making eye contact with me but focusing on the fruit bowl sitting on the kitchen counter. That was more information than I thought I was going to get. When did this become honesty hour?

"I didn't know you two were having problems," I say.

"We're not, everything is going great actually," she says.

"Then what's the problem?" I ask. Seriously, am I missing something? Girls are so confusing.

"I don't know, it's probably just all in my head," she says sounding like she's ready to change the subject.

"Yeah don't overthink it," I advise.

"Thanks Adam, you're a good friend," she says patting me on the shoulder and smiling. It's official, friend-zoned.

"No problem," I say grabbing two waters and carrying a bag of chips back downstairs.


	12. Chapter 12

Bianca's POV

My talk with Adam got me thinking and once I started I couldn't shut it off. While the guys continued to watch the movie, I spent most of my time thinking about this weekend. According to Drew, I'll come over after school and we'll have the whole weekend to ourselves. Earlier this week, I would have been really excited about the idea of alone time with Drew since we never seem to have enough of it, but now I'm looking for any and every reason to not go. I don't know what's changed, but I know that I don't want to be with Drew anymore. If anything, I haven't broken up with him yet in order to preserve my friendship with Adam. I wouldn't be able to hang out here if Drew and I broke up. Dallas probably wouldn't talk to me, Drew would probably hate me, and Adam would take Drew's side out of brotherly loyalty. It's probably extremely selfish of me to stay with Drew for these reasons though. Ugh, I don't know what to do! Breaking up with Drew means losing the entire Torres family but staying with him doesn't make me happy.

Drew shows up later that night and I put on a fake smile, "Hey babe," I say as he takes a seat next to me.

"Hey, you excited for tomorrow?" He asks with a flirtatious smile. I can tell Adam heard the question as well.

"Yeah of course, can't wait," I say smiling back. He leans in for a kiss and I let him. To my surprise he doesn't let up, and we're making out on the couch.

I notice Adam noticing us so I stop the kiss, "Save it for tomorrow babe," I say trying to get Drew to back off without actually having to reject him.

"Just giving you a preview of this weekend," Drew says giving me a cocky smile and one more kiss before putting his arm around me and turning his attention toward the TV.

The next day inevitably comes, it's Friday. I hardly talk to anyone at school, not in the mood to hear other people's problems when I have my own shit to worry about.

Adam notices my change in attitude, "Are you okay Bee? You seemed off today," he says to me at my locker. It's after school and I'm supposed to find Drew at his car.

"I'm fine," I say back, trying to brush off Adam's concern.

"Are you sure?" He asks with a worried look. I know he's being caring, and I wish I could tell him something reassuring, but I have nothing good to say right now.

"Yeah, I have to go," I say leaving Adam standing alone in the hallway as I brush past him. I don't look back to gage his reaction, but I assume it's one of confusion and worry.

I walk outside and see Drew's car idling in front of Degrassi. Drew rolls down the window and says, "Come on, Bee. Get in." Wow he's eager. As I get in the car I can't help but feel trapped. Trapped in the car, in this weekend, and in this relationship. I don't know how much longer I can fake this, but right now being here seems easier than admitting the truth.

Drew speeds back to his house and the second we walk in the door he's on me. I feel his lips pressed against mine and his tongue trying to force its way in. My hands go to the back of his head, tugging on his hair. He guides me toward the bottom of the stairs without breaking the kiss. His hands reach down to pick me up and I instinctively wrap my legs around his waist. He starts to walk up the stairs with his hands on my ass and my arms around his neck. Our kissing intensifies as I finally open my mouth and our tongues tangle. He kicks open his door and sets me down so I'm standing in front of him. We briefly make eye contact, his silent way of asking approval to continue. I respond by pulling off my shirt. He grins and starts kissing me again. He lays me down on the bed and climbs on top of me. I feel his hands trail down my stomach toward the top of my jeans and I move to take off his shirt. He breaks from the kiss and moves down to my neck, which feels kind of good. I'm doing my best to get into this and enjoy myself but there's a mental block I can't get rid of. As good as Drew is and as much as he wants it, I don't know if I can go through with this.

After a moment of debate with Drew still latched on my neck, I whisper, "Wait, stop." Drew's response is to start kissing me again, more ferociously this time. He pins my hands above me with one hand and starts unbuttoning my jeans with the other. He's putting all his weight on me and with my hands pinned down I have no way of moving him off of me. Once he breaks the kiss for a breath of air, I reiterate, "Seriously, Drew stop." He ignores me once again and starts tugging on my jeans, trying to pull them down. I feel completely helpless, his mouth is covering mine, my hands are pinned above my head, and he's successfully unbuttoned his own jeans now. For the first time tonight I think that Drew might not stop regardless of my consent. I feel the fear setting in, my lip starts to quiver and I can't help but writhe beneath him. My discontent is palpable but Drew continues his efforts.

…..

Adam's POV

"I'll just be a second," I say to Fiona as she sits in the idling car.

I walk into my house and head upstairs to grab my bag of clothes I packed for the weekend. I hear noises coming from Drew's room, just now remembering who inhabits the house currently. Sounds like Drew went straight to work on his plan to get with Bianca.

Not wanting to stick around and listen to my brother get laid, I locate my bag and start descending the stairs to exit the house.

I reach the bottom of the stairs when I hear a muffled voice say, "Wait, stop." It sounded like Bianca.

I hear the voice again, "Seriously, Drew stop." Okay that was definitely Bianca. Slightly concerned, I quietly climb the stairs.

"Drew please stop," the muffled voice says pleadingly with tinge of fear. Is this what it sounds like? It can't be, Drew isn't the type to force himself on a girl.

"What's your problem Bee?" I hear Drew say.

After a few seconds I hear Bianca say, "Stop," for the fourth time. Not entirely sure of what's going on I barge into Drew's room anyways. I see Bianca half naked lying under Drew, she doesn't look like she wants to be there.

I shout, "Get off her!" at Drew and grab his arm to pull him off of her.

"What the fuck, Adam?" Drew says angrily and pushes me.

I push him back, "Did you not hear her say no?" I yell at him. I glance over at Bianca and she looks like she's ready to break down.

"This is none of your business Adam, leave!" Drew says pushing me again.

"Fuck off Drew," I say, "Just look at her, does she look like she wants to be here with you?"

Drew looks at Bianca for the first time since I barged in. "Oh shit, Bee are you okay?" He says walking over to her. I can see a tear sliding down her cheek but she quickly wipes it away. I've never seen her look so vulnerable before.

Ignoring Drew's question, Bianca looks at me and says half-heartedly, "I'm fine Adam, you should go."

"You're not fine Bee, you're crying. Come on," I say while moving closer and crouching in front of her, I look up at her eyes and say "You can leave with me." Drew looks pissed that I said that but he's not going to make this about himself by interrupting.

Bianca glances at me, to Drew, and then back to me again. She looks like she's weighing her options. Wordlessly she stands up and starts to get dressed.

"Bee you don't have to leave," Drew pleads, "I'm sorry, this won't happen again, I promise."

She doesn't respond to him as she grabs her bag and looks at me like she's ready to go.

I walk out of Drew's room and she follows. I grab her hand as we walk down the stairs, it felt like the right thing to do. She needs to know I'm here for her.

I open the car door for her and look at Fiona, "Have room for another house guest?" I ask pleadingly, trying to convey to Fi that this was serious.

"Of course," She says, picking up on my urgency.

I climb in the passenger seat and Fiona backs the car out and onto the street.

…..

Bianca's POV

No one says anything on the way to Fiona's loft. I'm grateful for the quiet so I don't have to answer any unwanted questions from Fiona and Adam about what just happened. It also gives me time to think about Drew, and him going too far, and about Adam, the guy who saved me when I felt helpless.

I know Drew, I don't think he would have gone through with it. He's not that type of guy. He's eager to please me, not himself. Then again he can be selfish sometimes, but not when it comes to sex. Regardless, he didn't stop when I told him to and that's the important thing. I don't know if I want to break up with him but he definitely crossed a line and I don't know if it's forgivable.

Adam saved me when it was least expected. I don't know what he was doing in the house, I don't know what gave him the courage to stand up to Drew, and I don't know why he's willing to take care of me now but I know I'm definitely grateful for him being there.

Fiona stops the car so we must be at her loft. I climb out and notice Adam is already carrying my bag for me. No one's saying anything so I just follow them into the building, up the elevator, and into her loft.

Finally Adam breaks the silence by asking Fiona, "Where should I put the bags?"

"The guest bedroom," Fiona says pointing in a direction that I assume leads to the bedroom.

Adam heads off which just leaves Fiona and I standing here in silence.

I decide to break the ice, "You have a nice place," I say looking around the loft in order to avoid eye contact with Fiona.

"Thanks," She says a little to chipper.

"So I guess you're wondering what I'm doing here," I say trying to address the issue before she gets the chance to ask.

"Not really. You can tell me if you want but it won't change anything, you're more than welcome to stay here," Fiona says sending me a friendly smile.

I'm a little stunned by her hospitality, no one has ever welcomed me so whole-heartedly without strings attached, "Thanks," is all I manage to say back.

Adam walks back from wherever he was, "Fi, I'm starved," He says patting his stomach, "Let's order in."

"Okay, I'll get the menus," Fiona says walking toward the kitchen.

Adam takes a seat on the couch and motions for me to come join him. I take a seat next to him, close but not close enough that we're touching.

He reaches down and grabs my hand, "I'm here for you Bee," he says as he's looking into my eyes, then he pulls his hand away and turns his attention toward the TV. He grabs the remote and hands it to me, "You can choose what we watch, I'm going to go check on Fi," he says getting up from the couch. I already want him next to me again, he makes me feel safe.

…..

Adam's POV

I walk into the kitchen and see Fiona analyzing the different menus.

"Hey Ms. Indecisive," I tease.

She looks up, "Oh hey Adam," she says, "Do you want sushi, Thai, Italian, or Mexican? Or do you think Bianca doesn't like Thai food? What about Indian? Do you like Indian food?"

I interrupt her rambling, "Fi, let's just get pizza."

She looks relieved at the suggestion, "That's a great idea Adam," she says while picking up the phone to order.

I yell into the living room, "Hey Bee, what kind of pizza do you like?"

She shouts back, "Hawaiian."

Fiona orders, "Hi I'd like a large Hawaiian pizza and a medium thin crust pepperoni pizza and a small cheese pizza with an order of cheesy bread sticks please." Another moment passes before she hangs up the phone.

"Geez Fi, who is going to eat all that pizza?" I ask.

"Well you're a growing boy, so I expect you to eat it all," She says pointing a finger at me.

I laugh at that, "I'll do my best," and we walk back into the living room together. I take my seat next to Bianca again and Fiona sits in a chair next to the couch.

I look at the TV, "So you decided on The Bachelor? Really?" I ask unenthusiastically.

Fiona interjects, "Ooh I love The Bachelor!"

I face palm, "So this is what I get for spending a weekend with two girls. And here I thought it was going to be a lot more fun than this," I joke.

"Oh yeah? What'd you have in mind?" Bianca teases while winking at me.

I chuckle, "Oh I don't know. I expected intense pillow fights, maybe a little frisky wrestling, and if it was a really good night you two would be too hot from all the playing to wear clothes." They both burst out into laughter.

A/N: Turning point for Badam? I think so ;)


	13. Chapter 13

Bianca's POV

When I woke up this morning, I never would have guessed that my night would end up like this. In fact, tonight's been way more fun and relaxing than spending time with Drew has ever been. Adam makes me feel so at ease, he's sat by me the entire night, only to get up to answer the door when the pizza delivery guy came and to grab plates from the kitchen. Other than that I have found him and his reassuring smile by my side. Fiona has been really chill tonight too, she and Adam have interesting back and forth banter but they never make me feel excluded.

"I'll be right back," Adam says to me while getting up to clear the plates and empty pizza boxes. After a few minutes he's back on the couch, sitting a little closer than he was before and resting his right arm on the couch above my shoulders. I find myself leaning into him and scooting close enough that we're finally touching. We're sort of cuddling on the couch but not really. This is the safest I've felt in a long time.

The finale episode of the bachelor finishes and Adam sighs in relief, "Can we please choose a different show now?" He pleads.

"How about a movie?" I suggest. Dim lights, maybe a romantic comedy, and cuddling with Adam sounds like the perfect ending to tonight.

Fiona gets up to look through the options, "How about the Titanic?"

"Pass," Adam says. I kind of agree, that movie is overrated. I mean Jack and Rose fall in love in like a week, he dies for her, and then she moves on, marries, and lives a long life? That's a crap deal for Jack.

"Okay then what about the Notebook?" Fiona suggests.

"I just endured two hours of the Bachelor, I think I need a break from the romantic shit," Adam responds.

"Fine Prince Adam, you choose" Fiona says returning to her chair.

Adam moves to get up and I can't help the pout that forms on my face. After rifling through the options, Adam picks out a movie and puts it in the DVD player, "We're watching Transformers," he informs us.

"You just picked that because you think Megan Fox is hot," Fiona accuses.

He shrugs, "No I picked it because I like the movie, Megan Fox is just an added bonus." He presses play on the movie but before sitting back down he disappears into a different room and comes back with blankets. He tosses one to Fiona and as he sits down next to me he throws the blanket over us, "I only grabbed two so you'll have to share with me," he whispers.

"I don't mind," I whisper back. His arm goes back on the couch right above my shoulders, careful not to touch. I find myself glancing at Adam periodically throughout the movie. He looks so cute right now. Needing to close the small gap between us, I whisper "My feet are cold," knowing one way he can warm me up. He looks down at me and thinks for a moment, he rearranges the blanket and scoots closer so his feet can warm mine up. Our legs are touching and because of the closer proximity I can hear his heart beating fast. Am I making him nervous? I decide to test this theory by resting my head on his chest. He responds by moving his arm down from the couch and onto my shoulder, pulling me a little closer to him. This is more like it, he's good at cuddling.

I almost fall asleep during the movie, not because I'm bored but because I'm so comfortable next to Adam. When the movie finishes, Fiona gets up to eject the DVD and Adam unexpectedly gets up from the couch.

He asks, "Hey Fi, can I take a shower?"

"Sure, there's a shower in your room," she says back. Adam smiles at me before heading off in the direction of the bedroom. Fiona takes a seat the couch. It definitely doesn't feel as nice as when Adam's next to me. "So," she says.

"Yeah?" I ask not knowing where this is leading.

She smiles and says to me, "You and Adam looked cozy."

I laugh at that, "Yeah we were," I say not trying to deny it or anything.

"Was that his doing or yours?" She asks curiously.

"It was mutual effort," I answer. It's funny, I've never had anyone to talk to about boys. It's even stranger that I'm talking about a boy that's not my boyfriend. It feels nice though.

"Are you two actually going to sleep in the guest bedroom tonight?" She asks suggestively while wiggling her eye brows.

"Fi, I have a boyfriend," I answer. I don't know when we became close enough for me to call her Fi, but it felt natural and she didn't seem to mind.

"Do you?" She asks seriously. I don't know, for now I guess I do. I haven't talked to Drew since I left and I haven't checked my phone either, which is sure to have hundreds of texts and calls from Drew.

"I don't know," I answer. Because Fiona never asked for details about what happened, she has no idea what went down between Drew and I, but something inside me feels like I can tell her, "Things didn't end well between us when I left the house."

I brought it up so it doesn't bother me when she asks the obvious question, "What happened?"

"Uh we were hooking up in his bedroom, and when I told him to stop, he didn't. I didn't know what was going to happen. Then next thing I know Adam's in the room and pulling Drew off of me," I say giving her a brief recap of the story.

"I'm so sorry Bianca," she says genuinely, "I know what that's like and no one should ever feel that helpless."

"You know what that's like?" I ask slightly confused. Do girls try to rape each other?

"Yeah. Before I knew I was gay, before I dated Adam, I dated a lot of douche bag guys, one in particular was named Bobby. It was a toxic and abusive relationship and it was hard to escape. I'd never felt so helpless and trapped in my life," Fiona says. Wow, I never would have guessed that the girl who looks so put together at school actually went through tough shit.

"Oh wow Fi, that's rough. I'm sorry," I say trying to sound comforting.

"It's okay, it's in the past," she says, "Looks like we have more in common than we thought." After a minute of reflective silence, with both of us probably having flashbacks of our frightening moments, she changes topics, "I'm going to change into pajamas," she says while patting me on the leg and getting up from the couch.

After a few minutes of flipping through channels I decide that I'll change into something more comfy too. I wander around the loft and walk through a door I assume is the guest bedroom just in time to see Adam slip on a pair of shorts over his boxers. He hasn't noticed me yet so I take this moment of invisibility to observe him. I immediately notice his biceps, has he been working out? He looks good, toned. He has a nice farmer's tan which makes him look even better. Unexpectedly, he glances toward the door and catches me staring.

He smirks, "This is the second time this week you've watched me get dressed, starting to like what you see?" Adam teases.

I roll my eyes, "In your dreams," I say back playfully.

He walks toward me so that we're within reaching distance, "Then why keep watching?" He says throwing in a wink.

"Because," I pause trying to think of something witty to say but failing. I can't focus when he's standing so close to me.

"Because you like what you see," he jokes.

This causes me to roll my eyes again, "You wish," I say, "Now get out, I want to change," I say while pushing him toward the door, mainly because I wanted an excuse to touch him.

"I don't get to watch? Not fair," he says in protest. After another gentle push from me he leaves and shuts the door behind him.

Realizing that I packed for a weekend with Drew, I only have lingerie for sleepwear. After a moment of debate, I decide the best thing to do is to rifle through Adam's bag for clothes I can wear. I pick out a large T-shirt and a pair of his boxer shorts, hope he doesn't mind.

…..

Adam's POV

I walk back out to the living room and see Fiona channel surfing, "Find anything good?" I ask while taking my seat on the couch.

"Not yet," she replies. A few seconds go by before she says, "So you like Bianca?" She asks, but it sounded just as much like a statement as it did a question.

"What makes you say that?" I ask slightly put off by the question.

"Come on, you two have been inseparable tonight," Fiona says.

"Nu uh," I say defensively.

"You were cuddling on my couch," she points out.

Fiona is the one person that knows me better than I know myself. She can read me like a book and is the only person who truly understands me. There is no point in lying to her. I sigh at the realization of this, "Okay Fi, I like Bianca. Happy now?" I ask, slightly annoyed that she got me to confess my feelings.

"Yes," she answers with a smile.

"Good, that makes one of us," I say with a pouty tone.

"I'm not happy because you told me, I'm happy for you and Bianca. I think you should give it a chance," Fiona says. If only it were that simple.

"Fi, she's dating my brother," I deadpan. No matter how this all goes down, it will end badly for one of us. I hate love triangles. And besides, I still don't know if I'm ready to put myself out there again.

"Adam, this could be your guy's moment, don't let it pass you by," Fiona says.

Not another word is said because Bianca appears from the bedroom, wearing my clothes? I look her up and down, slightly confused as to why she's wearing my Skillet band shirt and favorite boxers. Not gonna lie, she looks better in those clothes than I ever have.

Bianca says, "I didn't have appropriate sleep attire, hope you don't mind I borrowed some of your clothes." A daydream occurs where I envision what it would be like to have a morning after with Bianca, her walking around in my clothes while I make her breakfast, us being all lovey-dovey.

A smile spreads across my face, "I don't mind," I say as she sits next to me on the couch. Fiona puts in another movie, 27 Dresses, her choice of course. Bianca and I get comfortable, but not as cozy as earlier. I think about my conversation with Fiona. Maybe this is our moment, and everything leading up to it was meant to happen so that we could be together now. Maybe fate wants us to take this chance. But then again, maybe this whole attempt at a relationship will crash and burn. Leaving me with a brother than hates me and girlfriendless. Halfway through the movie, around 11pm, I notice both Fiona and Bianca have fallen asleep. Figures, they put in a chick flick and fall asleep before finishing it. I reach for the remote and turn off the TV.

Not entirely sure how to precede, I weigh my options. I could wake both of them and tell them to go to bed. I could leave them here to sleep. Or I could move them to their respective bedrooms and crash on the couch myself. I decide on the latter.

I pick Fi up first, careful not to wake her, and carry her to her bedroom. I reach down with one hand and pull back the covers, gently lie her down, and pull the covers back over her, "Night Fi," I whisper as I turn off the lights and head back to the living room.

I walk over to Bianca and put one arm around her shoulders and the other under her legs. I lift her off the couch, her head now resting on my shoulder, and walk toward the guest bedroom. As I lie her on the bed I hear her mumble something inaudible." For a second I think she's awake, but her eyes never open. As I pull the sheets over her I hear her mumble again, "Adam."

Thinking she's awake, I whisper, "Yeah Bee?" But she doesn't respond. It dawns on me that one, she speaks in her sleep, and two, that she might be dreaming about me. I turn out her lights and move back to the living room where I recline on the couch, stretching myself out, and grabbing a blanket to throw over me.


	14. Chapter 14

Bianca's POV

_I feel a familiar pair of arms wrap around my waist and a sexy voice whisper in my ear, "I missed you today." I feel his lips nibbling on my ear and his hands pulling me against him. _

_"I missed you too, baby," I say honestly, placing my hands over his as they roam my body. I tilt my head to the left and he brings his lips to my neck, gently kissing and sucking. Not wanting to wait any longer, I turn around to face him, wrap my arms around his neck, and pull him down for a kiss. I bite down on his lower lip and run my tongue over it, silently asking him to part his mouth. I angle my head to deepen the kiss and I feel his tongue brushing mine. _

_I feel him smiling into the kiss, "What?" I ask between kisses. _

_He pulls back and looks into my eyes, "I feel like I'm the luckiest guy in the world." His blue eyes pouring into mine, he looks so sincere it makes my heart flutter._

_"You haven't gotten lucky yet," I say seductively, placing one hand on his chest and pushing him toward the bed. "Lie down," I command. He lies back on the bed and stares at me in anticipation._

_I slowly remove my top and his eyes go straight to my breasts with his mouth hanging open in awe. I climb onto the bed and straddle him. His hands rest on my waist as I lean down onto him, pressing myself against him, and bring my lips to his. I feel his hands wander from my lower back to my bra strap, tugging and pulling it off. He quickly flips me over so he's on top and starts kissing down my body on the newly exposed skin. His lips find my left breast and starts to suck while his hand massages my right breast. _

_The sensation ripples through my entire body and I let out a moan, "Adam." I pull him back up for another kiss which he happily obliges. He turns us over so I'm on top again. I cover him with soft kisses across his jawline and run my tongue down his neck. I suck on a soft spot beneath his ear and he grunts, I found a sensitive spot. _

_Not letting up, I switch between nibbling and sucking on that same spot and he moans, "Bianca." This encouragement only turns me on more and I double my efforts. _

_I hear his voice whisper, "Bia_nca."

"Bianca," the voice says more forcefully now.

I wake, flustered from my dream. I open my eyes to see Adam standing in the doorway with an amused look on his face. "Dreaming about me?" He asks with a smirk on his face.

"What? No, of course not," I say dismissing his question.

"Strange, I thought I heard my name," he says crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame still grinning ear to ear.

I change the topic by asking, "How did I get here? Last I remember I was passed out on the couch."

He shrugs, "I carried you." I was in Adam's arms and I wasn't even awake to enjoy it.

I push the surprised look off my face, "Where'd you sleep?" I ask.

"On the couch," Adam answers.

"You didn't have to do that," I say. He really didn't, the bed is big enough for the both of us.

"It's no big deal," he says, "Anyways, I came to tell you breakfast is ready." I can smell the bacon, and the waffles, it smells great. I hear my stomach growl, reaffirming that I am indeed hungry.

"I'll be out in a sec," I tell Adam. He nods and shuts the door, giving me some privacy.

I run my hands through my hair. That dream was something, I wish it didn't get interrupted. I wonder if Adam was serious when he said he heard his name, if so, how embarrassing. I don't need my subconscious confessing anything that my awake self wouldn't say.

I need a cold shower after that hot dream. I head to the bathroom and take a quick shower before joining Adam and Fiona for breakfast. Not wanting to borrow more of Adam's clothes, I throw on a pair of blue shorts and a white long sleeve shirt. I apply a little make up, mostly mascara and lip gloss. I take one last look in the full length mirror, I definitely look good. I achieved a nice mixture of not trying and naturally beautiful.

I walk out of the guest bedroom and into the kitchen. I see Adam dishing up plates and Fiona setting the table. Just seeing Adam brings me back to my dream and I feel myself starting to blush.

"Morning," I say making my presence known, "Can I help with anything here?" I ask.

"No, I think we're good," Adam says picking up two of the plates and setting them on the table. Fiona grabs the last plate and takes a seat. Adam and I follow suit, taking seats opposite of each other. I notice Adam discreetly checking me out, which puts a small smile on my face that I hide by taking a sip of orange juice.

"Did you guys sleep well?" Fiona asks, playing the good hostess. Her questions reminds me of my dream and I can't help but blush.

Adam definitely notices, "Yeah Bee, sleep well?" He asks with a stupid smirk on his face.

"Sure," I say indifferently, taking a bite of bacon and avoiding eye contact with Adam.

"Good," Fiona says happily, "So what are you guys going to do today?" She asks while chewing a bite of waffles.

"Us?" I ask slightly confused.

"Are you ditching us Fi?" Adam asks.

"Imogen and I have a date," Fiona answers, "So you two are on your own today." Alone time with Adam doesn't sound too bad.

"Ooh Fi, text me if you need us to clear out tonight," Adam says winking at Fiona.

"Very funny Adam," Fiona says dryly, "So what are you two going to do today?" Fiona asks changing the subject.

"Well actually, Becky texted me this morning wanting to hang out. So I think we're going to a movie or something," Adam says. I feel the disappointment immediately but refuse to show it.

"Oh," Fiona says looking surprised and turning her attention toward me, "Well Bee, you're more than welcome to hang out here all day."

"That's okay, I think I'm going to see Drew today," I say. I still haven't talked to him but I'm sure he's eager to speak to me. Besides, I can't just hang out here and think about Adam and Becky's stupid date.

"What?" Adam asks almost choking on the bite he just swallowed, "Why?" He asks in a disapproving tone.

"We have things we need to sort out," I answer. Which is true. I think I know where I stand and I need to let Drew know how I feel.

"Want me to go with you?" Adam offers.

"Nope, I don't need you," I say a little rudely, I would hate for you to miss your precious date with Becky freakin' Baker.

"Oh," is all he says and we finish breakfast in silence. Adam looks bothered but he hasn't said anything. Fiona looks a little uncomfortable by the situation. And I can tell I look annoyed.

Adam gets up to clear the plates, "You finished?" He asks me.

"Yeah," I say as he reaches for my plate and carries it to the sink.

"Well I'm going to go get ready," Fiona says dismissing herself from the table.

I see Adam at the sink washing the dishes. I'm about to sneak out of the kitchen when I hear him say, "Are you sure it's a good idea seeing Drew?" I turn around and see him leaning against the counter, arms folded, looking at me.

"I have to face him eventually," I say.

"Don't you think it's too soon?" Adam insists.

"Since when do you know what's best for me?" I ask.

"I don't," he says, "I'm just worried about you is all."

"Don't be, I can take care of myself," I say turning around to leave. I only get a few steps before I feel Adam's hands reach out to stop me. He turns me around to face him.

Still gripping my hand, he says, "I know you can," and looking into my eyes he says, "It's just that I care about you Bee, and I don't want you to get hurt." That's the closest he's come to admitting any sort of feelings at all for me. I mean, I know he saved me from Drew but that didn't automatically mean he cared about me.

"Thanks for the concern Adam, but I'll be fine," I say more gently this time. He looks down at our hands and releases his grip.

"Okay, but promise you'll text me if you need me," Adam says.

"I promise," I say.

…..

Adam's POV

Bianca disappears into the living room and I head back to the sink to finish washing the dishes. I know Fi probably has people for this but I don't mind. Besides it gives me something to do other than worry about Drew and Bianca.

Fiona walks back into the kitchen and taps me on the shoulder. I turn off the sink and face her, "What's up?" I ask.

"Why are you hanging out with Becky today?" Fiona asks seriously.

I shrug, "She texted me," is all I offer for an explanation. Becky's been texting me a lot lately. I don't even know if today is a date or not. It's casual but we do have history together, so it isn't just friends hanging out.

"But you could be with Bianca instead," Fiona points out.

"You heard her, she has plans with Drew," I respond. Plans that I don't approve of.

"And you're just going to stand by and watch as the girl you claim to like patches things up with her boyfriend?" Fiona asks.

"It's not that simple Fi," I say. Her boyfriend is also my brother. And on top of that, I don't even know if she likes me back. The odds are not in my favor.

"Sounds simple to me. As far as I can see, you have two options. Option one, move on with Becky. Or option two, fight for Bianca," Fiona says.

"Or option three, Fiona stays out of it," I say. I know she has her heart in the right place, but her advice isn't helping and I don't like having this conversation knowing Bianca is somewhere near.

"Fine," Fiona says stepping back, "I can take a hint. But don't say I didn't warn you," and with that she turns and leaves the kitchen.

Fiona has a point, I risk losing Bianca completely if I don't tell her how I feel. Then again, I can't lose something I never had. I'm going to give her space so she can figure out her problems with Drew, I at least owe that to Drew. It wouldn't be right to make a move while they're still dating.

I feel my pocket vibrate and I retrieve my phone. It's a text from Becky asking when I want to meet up. I glance at the clock on the wall, its 10:05. I send her a short response telling her to meet me at The Dot at 11. That should give me enough time to get ready, drop Bianca off at my house so she can talk to Drew, and head over to meet Becky.

I walk pass the living room where I notice Bianca sitting on the couch looking at her phone, probably reading Drew's text messages. I hesitate, thinking that maybe I should stop to check on her, but I remember that I'm pressed for time so I continue into the guest bedroom.

I pull off the shirt and shorts that I slept in. I rummage through my bag until I find my black V-neck shirt, dark blue jeans, and my pair of white vans. I get dressed quickly and head back into the bathroom. I brush my teeth and gel my hair the way I know Becky likes it. To top it off, I put on the leather jacket Drew gave me for whenever I need some luck with the ladies.

I walk into the living room where Bianca is still sitting, "If you're ready to go, I can drop you off," I offer.

She looks up at me and I see her eyes do a quick glance from head to toe, "Uh sure, I'm ready," Bianca says standing up from the couch.

"Hey Fi, Bianca and I are going to head out," I shout in the direction of her bedroom, which is where I assume she is.

"Okay, see you guys later," Fiona shouts from her bedroom.


	15. Chapter 15

It's a quiet ride down to the parking garage, with only elevator music to fill the silence. I unlock the car and we get in. I have a feeling it will be a quiet drive to my house as well, but at least we have the radio playing music for background noise.

"Do you like Becky?" Bianca asks, staring out the passenger window. Really? That's the question that breaks the silence? I don't know which I dislike more, talking about Becky with Bianca or the endless silence I was becoming accustomed to.

I think a minute before answering. On the one hand, yes I do. I liked her a lot at one point. She has an incredible way of surprising me. Like she did during Romeo and Jules, and when we worked together for the fundraiser, and especially with that email she sent me. When I first met her I thought I knew exactly who she was but she is constantly proving me wrong. And she has this enthusiasm for life, she's so positive and hopeful all the time. She really is great, and even though we didn't work out the first time, I definitely see why the attraction was there. But on the other hand, that's all in the past. Becky and I had our chance and it didn't work out. Sure, we're friends now but I don't know if I see it progressing anywhere past that again. After she broke my heart, I don't feel like I can fully trust her anymore.

After that long pause, I finally answer, "I used to, but we're just friends now." I think that's the most accurate way I can describe it to Bianca. She nods at that but doesn't say anything. After a few more minutes I decide that it's my turn to ask a question, "Are you going to break up with Drew?" That question has been on my mind non-stop since I left my house with Bianca yesterday.

She looks a little caught off guard by that question but answers anyway, "I'm not sure." Well that wasn't the answer I was looking for. I wish I knew which way she was leaning. Knowing that it's a touchy subject, I decide not to press her about it.

"Well if things work out between you two, I'll bring your bag by the house later so you can stay the rest of the weekend," I offer. I didn't know what else to say. I'm hoping things don't work out but I definitely can't say that.

Two songs play on the radio before Bianca speaks up, "I have an idea," she says perking up. She turns toward me and says, "How about we blow off Drew and Becky, drive down to Niagara Falls, and spend the day?" I take my eyes off the road to look at her to see whether she's serious or not. She looks eager and hopeful that I'll say yes, I can tell she thinks this is a great idea.

I'm not quite sold on the idea, "Bee, you can't run away from your problems."

"I'm not running away, I'm postponing," she responds. She reaches out and tugs on my arm causing me to look over at her again, "Come on Adam, it's less than two hours away," she says trying to convince me. She's cute when she's pleading, her eyes get puppy dog-ish and her lips form a small pout.

She's going to win so I might as well give in now, "Alright, just let me text Becky to cancel." This could actually be really fun, a spontaneous trip with a girl I like and no one around to ruin it.

"Already did," Bianca says waving my phone with a victorious smile on her face. How did she get that out of my pocket?

"Oh, so you just knew I'd go along with this?" I ask.

"Yup," she says confidently and hands me my phone back.

…..

Bianca's POV

It was surprisingly easy to convince Adam to spend the day with me. Even though he acts reluctant, I know he's just as happy about this as I am, I can see it on his face. He looks relaxed and content, sometimes I catch him glancing over at me and I smile back.

"If we're going to do a road trip, we're going to need snacks," Adam says pulling off into a gas station. "I need to fill up the tank. You want to get the food?" Adam asks, taking out $20 and handing it to me.

"Sure, want anything in particular?" I ask, taking the money.

"Nah, just get what you like," Adam says.

"Okay," I say turning around to head into the convenience store. I walk down the aisles grabbing a bag of skittles, lays potato chips, pretzels, white cheddar popcorn, and two 32 ounce cokes.

"That'll be $18.92," the man behind the cash register says. I hand over the money, take the change, and walk back to the car. Adam is already in the driver seat waiting. He starts the car, turns up the radio, and pulls onto the freeway.

We're cruising fast, windows rolled down, and Adam's singing along with a song on the radio that I've never heard before,

_"She's cold and she's cruel_

_ But she knows what she's doin'_

_ She pushed me in the pool_

_ At our last school reunion_

_ She laughs at my dreams_

_ But I dream about her laughter_

_ Strange as it seems_

_ She's the one I'm after,"_

He takes a handful of popcorn and stops singing long enough to chew the food in his mouth. He finishes eating in time to join in for the second chorus,

_"'cause she's bittersweet_

_ She knocks me off of my feet_

_ And I can't help myself_

_ I don't want anyone else_

_ She's a mystery_

_ She's too much for me_

_ But I keep comin' back for more_

_ She's just the girl I'm lookin' for,"_ (Just the Girl by The Click Five)

The song ends and commercials come on, so Adam turns down the radio. "I didn't know you could sing," I say amused by his performance.

"Everyone can sing," he replies humbly.

"I meant, I didn't know you could sing well," I clarify. He's full of surprises. What else can he do that I don't know about?

"Thanks, when I make it big I'll be sure to send you tickets to my concerts," Adam jokes.

"Front row?" I ask, playing along.

"Of course," he says with a sideways grin.

"And backstage passes?" I ask.

"For you, anything," Adam promises. Anything? I like the sound of that. I love this moment we're having in the car, it's simple and easy imagining Adam and I in the future, even if it is farfetched. Whether he's famous or not, successful or mediocre, rich or poor, I want to be there for him, with him. Weird, that sounded too much like wedding vows.

Adam reaches into the bag of skittles and tosses a green skittle into the air, catching it in his mouth. "How'd you do that?" I ask sounding impressed, especially because he managed that while driving.

"Easy," he says demonstrating again.

"Show off," I say, picking up a skittle and trying myself. The skittle fell and bounced off my cheek which caused Adam to stifle a laugh. "Hey, don't laugh at me," I say while gently punching him in the shoulder.

"I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing at the skittle," he says still chuckling. I cross my arms and glare at him, I'm not really mad but he doesn't know that. He looks over at me and I raise an eyebrow at him, daring him to laugh again. He doesn't seem to notice my attempt at an angry face, "Here, let me teach you," Adam says grabbing another skittle, "The key is to keep your eyes on the skittle," and he tosses the skittle in the air and catches it effortlessly, "See?" He says chewing.

"Right, I can do that," I say trying and failing again, this time with the skittle bouncing off my chin, "Your advice didn't work," I say fake pouting.

"Open your mouth more," Adam suggests.

"Third times the charm," I say tossing another skittle in the air and finally catching it in my mouth, "Yes! I did it!" I say enthusiastically.

"Awesome!" Adam says holding his hand up for a high five. I slap his hand but instead of pulling away his hand wraps around mine, and we're doing a hand-hug type of thing. His hand feels calloused and warm, and as awkward as this should be, it feels comforting. After a second he let's go, which in my opinion is too soon, and smiles at me, "I guess I'm a pretty sweet teacher," he says boasting.

"You're alright," I say with a playful wink.

After another 30 minutes, some playful skittle throwing, and one bathroom break, we finally arrive at Niagara Falls and it looks as breathtaking as I thought it would.

We both get out of the car and walk toward the viewing point. It looks unbelievable, with a serene plateau on the top and a white wall of water crashing down at the bottom. I can hear the tides churning at the bottom from the constant pounding coming from the water above. A light breeze blows by and I feel mist hitting me from the falls, cool and refreshing. I look over at Adam and he looks just as amazed as I do, with his mouth slightly gaping. Taking in the moment, we stand there for a few minutes just gazing at the falls.

Adam speaks first, "This is… Wow, this is…"

"Yeah," I say, understanding his sentiment. There are probably many words to describe the falls, but I am not a poet and neither is Adam. He looks over and smiles. This is an incredible sight, and I couldn't be happier that I'm sharing this moment with Adam. "Come on, let's get a picture together" I say tugging on his hand, "I want to remember this moment" I say arranging us in front of the falls and pulling out my iPhone.

"Here let me take that for you," a stranger offers. I hand him my phone and step back next to Adam. Adam casually puts his arm around my shoulder and pulls me a little closer.

"Cheese," the stranger says, taking a few pictures and handing my phone back to me.

"Thanks," Adam says politely. The stranger gives us a friendly smile and walks away toward a group of people. "How'd they turn out?" Adam asks.

I flip through the pictures. The first one is nice, with Adam and I both smiling and the falls perfectly behind us on the right. In the second one, Adam has his hand above my head holding up bunny ears and he's sticking his tongue out. What a goof. In the last one Adam isn't looking at the camera, instead he's looking down at me, his smile still evident. I find myself smiling while looking at the picture, this one is definitely my favorite. "They turned out good," I say while sliding my phone back into my pocket.

"You're not going to show me?" Adam complains.

"Maybe later," I respond, "Oh and real funny with the bunny ears," I say smacking him in the stomach.

He laughs, "Ouch," he says pretending to be hurt after I hit him, "Note to self, Bianca doesn't like bunny ears," he jokingly says to himself. I just roll my eyes.

"So now that we're here, what do you want to do?" I ask. I hadn't really thought that part through when I suggested this trip but there has to be plenty to do around here.

"Want to take a tour? Maybe get a closer look at the falls?" Adam suggests.

"Yeah, let's do it," I say. I reach down and grab Adam's hand, pulling him along behind me as we walk toward the visitors building. We enter the building and I reluctantly drop his hand as we approach the front desk.

"How can I help you today?" Asks the perky receptionist behind the counter.

"We'd like two tickets for a boat tour," Adam answers.

"Would that be for 12:30 or 1:45?" The lady asks.

"What time is it now?" I ask.

"Its 12:05," the woman says, "It's a bit of a hike down to the docks but if you leave now you could make the 12:30."

Adam looks at me, letting me choose, "12:30 works," I decide.

"Great," the woman says turning her attention to her computer screen and typing away, "That'll be $68."

I reach into my purse to fish out my wallet but Adam stops me, "My treat Bee," he says handing his credit card over to the woman.

"I can pay you back," I say not entirely comfortable that he just paid for my ticket. Buying me little things is one thing but letting him pay for something expensive seems a little gold digger-ish of me.

"Don't worry about it," he says brushing off my offer, "You can pay for our next road trip." I bite my lip to prevent a huge smile from spilling onto my face. I absolutely love that he wants there to be another trip, just the two of us.

A/N: I don't know if I'm supposed to say this or not, but I don't own the song and it's contents belong to the band etc. Also, review please! Where do u want to/see this going.


	16. Chapter 16

Adam and I take a seat as the cruiser departs toward the falls. "Hello everyone, my name is Naomi and I will be your tour guide today," the young lady says into a microphone that plays through loud speakers on the boat.

The tour guide continues to ramble on, spouting "fun" facts about the falls, as Adam leans in toward me and asks, "Have you ever been here before?"

I turn to face him, "Once, when I was a 5," I pause for a second before I continue, "That was the last trip my parents took me on before my dad split." I don't usually like talking about my home life, my past, or anything else that's personal but I feel like I can trust Adam with my darkest secrets and he won't judge or abandon me.

He nods like he gets it, "Do you ever see your dad?" He asks.

"No, I wouldn't even know where to look," I say with a small frown. He dropped off the face of the earth by the time I turned 6. Whenever I used to ask my mom about him, she would always change the subject and my memories of him are vague. It's not that I want to know my father, I mean how good of a guy could he be if he abandoned his child? But I want to know why he left, what about our family was not good enough for him anymore? Was I not worth sticking around for?

"His loss," Adam says sincerely, holding my gaze for a few seconds. I find myself holding my breath when we lock eyes. After a moment Adam says, "Come on," while standing up and pulling me up with him. "The views better over there," he says walking us over to the railing at the front of the ship. It's more peaceful at the bow of the boat, less people, just Adam and I and the falls in front of us.

"What about you? Do you keep in touch with your dad?" I don't know what prompts me to ask, but I don't think I've ever heard Adam talk about his real dad. Drew talks about his real mom sometimes, but Adam has never said a word about his life before his mom remarried. He's kind of a mystery now that I think about it. I guess a part of me is curious and wants to get to know Adam on a deeper level.

Adam sighs and puts his elbows on the railing, leaning against it. His head dips and I think he's looking at the water. I move a little closer but can't see his facial expression. I must have struck a chord.

"You don't have to answer," I say after a minute passes. I want to change the subject but Adam still hasn't looked up, or even acknowledged the question yet. I'll just give him a moment to be in his thoughts.

He finally lifts his head and sighs before saying, "My dad and I had a strained relationship. He never accepted me for who I was. For a long time he tried to change me, but when he realized that wasn't going to work he stopped acknowledging me at all," he pauses a moment before continuing, "Of course when my mother was around he acted civil, but when she was gone and it was just the two of us he would either act like I didn't exist or he would be abusive." He doesn't say it in an angry or resentful tone, but more matter-of-factly.

"Oh Adam," I say sympathetically. I bring my left arm up and gently rub his back for support. He has his head looking in the other direction, so I still can't see the expression on his face while he's telling me this.

"Mostly it was verbal slurs, but occasionally he'd throw a punch or two at me," Adam says in a low voice. I can feel his body tense as he tells me, like he's reliving some of the memories. I find myself internally kicking myself for bringing this up in the first place.

"I'm so sorry," I say moving my arm down to his waist, giving him a side hug and resting my head on his shoulder which causes him to relax a bit.

"It's okay," he says putting his arm around me and hugging me back. He finally looks my way and I see a pained expression on his face that quickly disappears once he locks eyes with me, "My mom eventually found out and she kicked him out of the house and divorced him. Now he lives somewhere in the states and I haven't heard from him since." He says.

As sad and tragic that story was, and how horrible that was for Adam to live through, I'm glad he opened up to me. I know it pained him to recall all of that, but we're closer because of it. It's like we've established an unspoken trust that runs deeper than friendship.

"You're the only person I've ever told that to," Adam admits.

I feel a small smile appear on my face, "Really?" I ask in disbelief. I'm not happy because I'm the only one who knows his secret, or that I'm unique because I'm the only one he's told, I'm happy because that means he trusts me more than anyone else he's ever encountered.

He removes his arm from around my shoulder and leans against the railing again, "Yeah, it feels good getting that out there. Whenever I used to think about it I would get super bummed out, but now I feel like a weights been lifted."

"Thanks for trusting me Adam. Whenever you feel down, about anything, you can always come talk to me," I say. And I hope he takes me up on that offer, talking with Adam is like a remedy to a problem I wasn't even aware of.

He looks over his shoulder at me and smiles. I smile back. And all the pain and misery that existed during that conversation seems to wash away.

…..

Adam's POV

Looking at Bianca right now, with her gaze meeting mine, I feel a strong urge to close the space between us and kiss her. After that conversation we just had, I've never felt closer to a person in my life. I come battered and scarred, nowhere near perfect, but Bianca accepts me anyways. Its official, I've fallen for this girl. Somehow we've slowly gravitated closer to one another, now only inches apart.

I wet my lips in anticipation when I hear the tour guides voice shrill over the speakers, knocking me out of the moment with Bianca, "Watch out, wave!" The boat jerks and I look up to see a tall wave about to crash down on the bow of the boat. I pull Bianca to me in hopes of shielding her, but the wave hits completely soaking the both of us. "Sorry about that folks, with the rapids caused by the falls that happens occasionally," the tour guide explains.

One of the employees on the ship brings us two towels to help us dry off, "Thanks," I say kind of chuckling. These towels won't do much but I appreciate the gesture. I shake my head, sending drops of water everywhere.

"Hey watch it!" Bianca says playfully whacking me with her towel. I laugh, I think we both know me shaking my head isn't going to get her anymore wet than she already is.

I run the towel over face and neck, then move to my arms. I notice Bianca slowly, well at least in my mind it was slow motion, pull off her shirt leaving her in a black tank top. She rings out her shirt and I can't help but stare at the newly exposed skin. I look away before she can catch me staring and glance around the boat, I notice a few guys have also caught on to the little show going on at the front of the boat.

Feeling a little protective I say, "Let's find a better place to dry off." I walk toward the guy who handed us the towels, "Can we get a more private place to dry off?" I ask.

He seems content to help us out, "Sure, follow me," he says. Not really thinking about it, I grab Bianca's hand as we follow this guy to a little staircase leading us below the deck. He opens a door that leads us to a hallway, "Second door on the right is a room you two can use to dry off in," he says.

"Thank you," I say as he heads back to the upper deck.

I enter the room with Bianca right behind me. It's pretty cramped, with only a bed in the middle of the room and a dresser opposite the bed. There is maybe a three feet gap between the walls and the bed. In the far right corner of the room is an ajar door leading to a bathroom. This is probably a captain's quarters or something.

"So," I say not really knowing how to proceed. I wanted privacy but now that we have it I don't know what to do.

"Hope you don't mind," Bianca says peeling off her tank top, leaving her in just a bra. She's standing right next to me as she rings it out. She lays the two articles of clothing, her shirt and tank top, on top of the dresser to dry. Next she pulls off her shorts and does the same thing with them. She looks up at me and I promptly shut my gaping mouth.

Not wanting to just stand here and look stupid, I kick off my shoes and remove my shirt and jeans leaving me in a wife beater and boxers. We're both looking at each other, neither of us moving away or breaking the gaze. I feel my heartbeat picking up, I take a few slow breaths to calm myself down.

After a few seconds I notice her shiver, cold from being on a boat at Niagara Falls half naked. Not entirely sure how to warm her up, I do the one thing I've been wanting to do since we got in the car this morning and decided to drive up here.

I lean in slowly, giving her enough time to back out at any point, and after a hesitant pause, I decide it's safe to close the gap and our lips connect. Bianca's soft, inviting lips press against mine. Knowing that she's kissing me back sends a wave of relief through me. I pull her closer with my arms around her waist and we take the few baby steps needed to reach the bed. Bianca takes initiative, laying down and pulling me on top of her. Bianca, with her tongue in my mouth, starts to lift the bottom of my wife beater, stopping half way. Her hands tracing the contours of my abs creating heat everywhere she touches.

I could kiss her perfect, soft lips all day but I want to explore the rest of her, every ridge and valley on her body. I place tiny, feather like kisses along her jaw, down her neck, over her breasts, then her stomach, feeling constantly encouraged by the way Bianca would moan or press against me.

We get interrupted by another intercom message from the tour guide, "Hello folks, if you haven't noticed yet, we are directly in front of the falls now, and for all those lovers out there I hope you know what that means. It's tradition to kiss your special someone in front of the falls, it brings good luck to the relationship. So if you have someone special with you right now, please, I encourage you to continue the tradition."

I stop placing kisses on her stomach and look up at her, unsure if I am her special someone. She has reassuring smile on her face, "Come here," she whispers, pulling me back up to her. I look into her eyes and find her staring back at me, she leans in this time and kisses me. It's not as fervent and feverish as our kisses were before, it's slower, more passionate. She parts her lips and I slide my tongue to meet hers. We're making out, my heart beating out of my chest, and my head dizzy from the pleasure.

I don't know how much time passes with us making out, our hands occasionally wandering and our mouths never straying, but before I know it I feel the boat dock and hear the intercom woman say, "Thank you for joining us on this tour, I hope you enjoyed your time visiting the falls!"

I break the kiss, "Shit, we should go," I say hopping off the bed. We both get dressed quickly, our clothes still pretty wet, and head up the stairs to the main deck. Fortunately, there are still a few stragglers left on the boat so we aren't the last people getting off the boat.


	17. Chapter 17

Bianca's POV

Being with Adam and finally establishing some sort of relationship with him, however currently only physical, has sparked so many feelings. Kissing him ignited a passion inside me that I haven't felt before, it was love, lust, and longing all in one kiss. Love because I think I'm falling for this guy harder than I've ever fallen for anyone before and that both terrifies and excites me. Lust because Adam's kisses all over my body felt like the best kind of torture, slow, precise, and sensual. And longing because even though he's right next to me, I know that he's not someone I can call mine. Everything good comes to an end. The sun will set on this perfect day and snap us back to reality where life is bound to come tumbling down.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Adam asks, noticing I've been a little quiet as we're walking along tourist shops.

"Is that all they're worth to you?" I tease.

He pretends to think for a moment, "Okay I'll go as high as a quarter, but unless you're thinking up Newton's undiscovered fourth law of motion don't expect me to go much higher than that."

"How about I trade you? You tell me what you're thinking about and then I'll tell you what I'm thinking about," I suggest.

"But my thoughts are priceless," Adam jokes.

"Which makes me all the more curious," I reply.

Giving into my compromise, he says, "Hmm, I guess I can give you the 'pretty girl' discount." I blush at his compliment but he starts talking before he notices, "I was thinking about what would have happened on the boat if we didn't get interrupted," he says with a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

I roll my eyes, "Perv," I say playfully smacking his arm. Seriously though, if we hadn't been interrupted, what would have happened? I already cheated on Drew with his brother, it would have been a million times worse if things went farther than they already did.

He laughs, "You asked, remember?"

I scoff, "You're such a stereotypical guy." In reality, Adam's not stereotypical at all. He's sweet, funny, considerate, charming, and much more. Any girl that's ever talked to him before would know that.

"Nu uh," Adam whines in protest.

"Yeah huh, guys think about sex like every 5 seconds," I accuse.

Adam pretends to look offended, "I'm much more evolved than that, I only think about it every 8 seconds," he jokes.

"Oh wow, vast improvement," I say sarcastically.

"I know, I'm impressive," he says boastfully, ignoring my obvious sarcasm.

I laugh while shaking my head, "You're something," I say back. Something incredible.

"I'll take that as a compliment," he says flashing a smile at me. "Your turn, what were you thinking about?" He asks.

I imagine what telling Adam the truth would look like.

_Daydream: _

_I turn to face him, look straight into his eyes and say, "Adam, I like you and I want to be with you." He looks surprised and opens his mouth to speak but I keep going, "And before you say anything, let me just get this all out there." I take a deep breath and continue, "I know us being together doesn't make much sense, I know we'd face a lot of challenges, and the odds are definitely against us. I know I'm technically still dating Drew, I know I'm going to graduate at the end of the year, and I know that Audra would never approve." _

_He laughs and says, "She'd come around eventually."_

_"Shh, I'm not finished," I reprimand. He pretends to zip his mouth closed and looks at me like he's ready for me to continue. I roll my eyes at the dramatics and continue talking, "Even though all these things are pitted against us, I still want to be with you. I know it's selfish of me, but I want what I want, and you are what I want." _

_A few moments pass after I finish talking. Adam looks at me, raising his eyebrows as if asking a question. It takes me a second before I catch on, "You can talk now."_

_He pretends to unzip his mouth, causing me to smile at his theatrics, and says, "You sure talk a lot."_

_I laugh, that wasn't the reaction I was expecting, "I had a lot to say on the matter," I say in defense._

_"So you've put a lot of thought into this," he says half question, half statement._

_"Yeah I guess," I shyly admit._

_"Listen Bee, I'm flattered but I don't like you like that. I like hanging out with you and stuff but we're better off as friends," Adam says trying to let me down easy, "Besides, I could never do that to Drew."_

_ End Daydream_

Just imagining the conversation ending like that causes my heart to ache.

"Uh I was thinking about Drew," I say, answering Adam's question. Okay so that wasn't entirely true, but it kind of ties into what I was really thinking about. I can't be with Adam until I end it with Drew.

"Oh," Adam says faintly, dropping his head down to look at his shoes.

Not wanting Adam to get the wrong idea, I quickly say, "And how I think I'm going to break up with him."

"Oh," Adam says sounding surprised. I look up to gage his reaction but he's looking at something across the street.

"Promise me one thing though," I say more as a demand than a question.

"What?" He asks, turning his attention back to me.

"Promise me that Drew and I breaking up won't make things awkward between us," I say. It's not like I want Adam to choose me over his brother or anything, I just don't want to lose the connection that's between us.

"Why would it?" He asks, genuinely perplexed.

"Because… I don't know, you might have to hate me out of loyalty to your brother or something," I say slightly saddened at the thought.

Adam stops walking and looks right at me, "I could never hate you Bee," he says sincerely. Truer words have never been said. If the past has taught me anything it's that Adam doesn't have a hateful bone in his body. I can feel his heavy gaze upon me, his eyes pouring into mine, and it feels like we might kiss again. He breaks the gaze by looking down, "Besides we're friends now, remember? You breaking up with Drew won't change that," he says.

Hearing the word 'friends' only reaffirms my thoughts that Adam doesn't want something serious with me. Which is confusing because after we hooked up I kind of thought we might be on the same page. When I was kissing him I could literally feel the chemistry, the sparks, the connection. It definitely wasn't on a friendly level. But maybe I was reading into things too much, maybe Adam's just really good in bed.

…..

Adam's POV

Did I say something wrong? Bianca's been kind of quiet since we talked about Drew. Maybe thinking about breaking up with him has just put her in an introverted mood. I shrug away my worries.

We continue walking along the shops for a few more minutes before she turns to me and says, "I think we should head back." I pull out my phone to check the time, 3:51 in the afternoon. It's probably a good idea, we're already going to hit rush hour traffic, so we won't make it back until at least 7:00.

"Yeah okay," I say. I'd hate to cut my time with Bianca short, but I think our day of escape is over. I wonder if this day was a special to her as it was to me. Even under the charade of friendship, this has been the best non-date day I've ever had.

We walk back to the car and start toward home. It's a quiet ride with only occasional small talk. Now that we're in the car, the magic of today has slowly vanished. Neither of us want to talk about what's ahead of us, or what's behind us. We're heading toward home, reality, and we're leaving behind the boat ride. I don't know why Bee and I can talk about so many things, but when it comes to us we both rather ignore it. I mean, she probably has more stressful things to think about than me, but she's all I have to consume my thoughts.

Now that's she's breaking up with Drew she'll be officially available. Well available to every guy except me. She'll always be my brother's ex. It'd be extremely shitty of me to pursue her. Why is Drew always the one guy standing in my way when it comes to women? I know I shouldn't see it that way. He's my brother. I love him no matter what and I know he feels the same. Does that mean he could forgive me for hooking up with his girlfriend? We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. But does that mean he could forgive me if I ever dated Bianca? That's asking a lot of him, but I think our brotherhood would survive. If he wouldn't forgive me, and I wouldn't blame him if he didn't, is Bianca worth losing my brother?

After a pretty quiet 3 hour car drive, I finally see the interstate exit for Toronto. After a 30 minute battle through downtown, I turn into my neighborhood. I look over and see Bianca fidgeting, she must be getting nervous.

I pull up in front of my house and shut off the engine. "You sure you want to do this now?" I asks, trying to convey the right amount of concern.

Bianca looks out the car window at the Torres' house with a look of dread on her face, "Now or never," she sighs.

"Want me to go with you?" I offer. Yeah great idea, the guy she cheated on Drew with, who also happens to be his brother, should be in attendance during this break up.

She shakes her head, "I need to do this alone." I don't want her to think she's alone, I want her to know she always has me.

"Okay well I'll be at The Dot, text me when you're ready for me to come pick you up," I say.

Bianca nods and exits the car. I watch her walk up to the door and ring the doorbell before reluctantly backing out of the driveway. I don't really want to leave her right now, alone with Drew, but it's what she wants. She turns back and looks at me, I lift my fingers of the wheel in a weak attempt at a wave. I have a bad feeling that this won't go well for either of them.

I've been sitting at The Dot for five minutes, biting the nails on my left hand and tapping the table with the fingers on my right hand. To say the least, I'm internally freaking out. I'm probably more nervous than Bianca is. I hope she's alright. Drew has been known to have a temper, I hope he keeps it under control. Maybe I should have gone with her, or maybe I should have waited in the driveway. If she needs me, I won't know. Well, I mean she can always text me, but I won't be able to get there for at least 10 minutes, and that's if I speed. I grab my keys off the table and contemplate driving back to my house. I can just wait out front, no big deal. Better to be safe than sorry. I get up from the table, having successfully convinced myself to head back to my house, when I see Eli walk into The Dot.

Eli notices me and says, "Hey buddy."

I walk over to him and say, "Hey dude, sorry but I was just leaving." I offer a short apologetic smile before reaching for the door.

"No way, hang out with me a bit," Eli says, putting his arm around me and redirecting me toward the table I was just sitting at. "I've hardly seen you all week," Eli says, taking a seat. "What have you been up to?" He asks. Where do I start? I mean I told Eli the whole story, well the story as of Monday. And I mean it's only been a week, but already so much has happened.

"Just hanging out," I reply casually, keeping my answers vague yet honest.

"How's it been staying with Fiona?" Eli asks.

"It's been fun actually, her loft is sweet. We got take out last night and stayed up watching movies. She has a huge TV and the comfiest couch. I could definitely get used to staying at her place" I reply. I don't think I'll mention the unexpected guest that's staying with her as well.

"Don't forget us little people now that you're living the lifestyle of the rich and famous," Eli jokes.

"Of course I won't!" I pause for a second, "Wait, what's your name again?" I tease. Joking with Eli relaxes me, it reminds me how freeing my life is when it centers on friends and not relationships.

He laughs and slaps me on the back of the head, "That help you remember?"

"Yup," I say rubbing the part on the head that he hit me, "It's definitely all coming back to me now."

Eli smirks, "Do you want to grab some food and take it back to my place? I just got the Grand Theft Auto game." It sounds tempting, it really does. Hanging out with my best friend, drama free, playing a fun new video game. But Bianca's going to text me to pick her up at any time, I can't make plans right now.

Sadly, I have to say no, "I can't dude, sorry."

"Why not?" Eli asks, not wanting to take no for an answer. "Come on, it'll be a guy's night." We haven't had a guy's night in a while, Clare usually crashes it.

Regardless, I can't bail on Bianca, "I have some things I need to take care of," I say not wanting to tell Eli about Bianca's situation.

"Like what?" Eli asks. He's persistent, I'll give him that.

Tired of evading Eli's questions, and not wanting to lie, I decide to come clean, "I'm waiting for Bianca to text me."

He gives me a weird look, "Your ditching me for a text message? You do know you'll get the text no matter where you are, right? My house does have cell service."

"I know, but when she texts me I'll have to pick her up," I say as a poor explanation. Eli looks confused, I shrug, "It's a long story."

"I got nothing but time," Eli says. I don't usually hide things from my best friend, so I might as well tell him everything.

"Alright, well the quick version is that Friday when I dropped by my house after school, Drew and Bianca were hooking up, but it wasn't exactly consensual. I brought Bee with me to Fiona's since she didn't want to stay with Drew. Now she's at my house talking to Drew, and when she's done I'm going to pick her up," I explain. I leave out the part about Niagara Falls because that's something I just want to share between Bee and I, besides, it's not pertinent to the story.

"Wow," Eli says.

"Yeah," I say, agreeing that it's a lot to process.

"I'm surprised you didn't kick Drew's ass," Eli says, taking me by surprise.

"What? Why?" I ask, confused.

"You're the type of guy that would go ape shit if you saw another guy trying to rape a girl. Add into the mix that this girl is Bianca and it's bound to be a showdown," Eli says.

"He's my brother," I say as if that makes up for everything. It's not like I think Drew is infallible, because I think everyone knows he makes mistakes left and right, it's that I love him unconditionally, regardless of his stupidity.

"Still, you must've been pissed," Eli says. I guess he's right, I was pretty mad. I know a part of me wanted to punch Drew in the face a few times. Eli asks another question, "So Bianca spent the night at Fiona's?"

"Yeah," I reply.

"How'd that go?" Eli asks.

"It was fine, I told you we're just friends. Nothing happened," I say defensively.

"Dude chill, I meant between Bianca and Fiona. They aren't exactly best friends," Eli clarifies. My bad, I guess I jumped to conclusions.

"They actually got along really well," I say, "Fiona was really chill about the whole thing and I think Bianca appreciated that."

"Did the three of you hang out today, too?" Eli asks.

"Fiona had a date with Imogen, so Bianca and I hung out until she was ready to face Drew," I say honestly, but leaving out a few minor details.

"How do you think that's going? Her and Drew," Eli asks.

"No idea," I say but feeling the sense of worry return. On a very selfish level, I'm worried she'll tell Drew that she and I hooked up. But mostly I'm worried that Bianca will get hurt. It's a helpless feeling knowing I can't protect her from everything, especially whatever it is she's going through with Drew.

…..

Bianca's POV

Drew isn't expecting me right now, nor is he expecting what's about to happen, but I don't think it can wait. We have to break up.

Only a few seconds pass before the door opens and Drew is standing there in front of me, "Bee? What are you doing here?" Drew asks looking confused. "I mean, I thought you said you weren't coming, not that I don't want you here, I do. I'm just surprised, good surprised though," he says quickly, clearly nervous. He regains composure, "Uh please, come in," he says opening the door wider for me to enter.

"Thanks," I say moving past him into the house.

"So uh, I'm glad you dropped by," he says offering me a friendly, yet apologetic, smile. So far he hasn't made any move to make physical contact and we're standing an awkward distance apart. I wonder if this is as uncomfortable for him as it is for me, probably more uncomfortable for me since I know what's about to happen.

"We need to talk," I say getting right to the point. I see no need in dragging this out.

"I know," he says. We walk toward the living room, he sits on the couch and I opt for the chair next to him.

A few silent moments pass with neither of us making eye contact. Drew clears his throat and says, "Listen Bee, let me start by saying sorry for what happened yesterday. I don't know what came over me but it will never happen again. You know I would never intentionally hurt you," he says apologetically. I know Drew wouldn't hurt me, and that's not really what any of this is about anyways. It's about what, I mean who, I want.

I see his hand hesitate before reaching out to hold my hand, and for some reason I let him. He continues, "If you find it in your heart to forgive me, I promise to be a better boyfriend." He squeezes my hand and I look up to meet his eyes, "I love you Bee," he says in a low, sincere voice. I still haven't said anything, which must have worried him because he starts talking again, "I get it if you don't trust me right now, but I promise I'll do whatever it takes to gain that trust back. Whatever problems we have, we can fix them. It's us against the world, remember?"

The words flow out without me even realizing what I'm saying, "I cheated on you." I don't know why I felt the impulse to tell him. Maybe it was out of honesty, or guilt, or maybe I thought it would be the easiest way to break up with him. Regardless, now that I've said it I know there's no going back.

The impact of those words are instantaneous. Suddenly there's a thick tension in the room, Drew dropped my hand, and his kind, loving face turns into pure anger.

Drew demands answers, "What the fuck Bee! When? With who?" He gets up from the couch and starts to pace. "I can't believe this, you won't fuck me but you go off and fuck some other guy? Unbelievable," he says tossing his hands in the air.

"I didn't fuck anyone, asshole," I say starting to get angry myself. Of course he thinks I'd slut it up with some loser guy, apparently cheating automatically insinuates sex.

"I'm not the asshole here! You're the one who cheated!" Drew shouts, getting in my face. "Is that why you cancelled today? You were too busy with the other guy?" I don't answer, knowing he doesn't want the real answer. "Tell me who he is," Drew demands.

"You don't know him," I lie, brushing past him to leave.

He grabs my arm and spins me around to face him, "Tell me," he says still holding onto my arm.

"Let me go," I say, ripping my arm out of his grip. I reach the front door and open it. I turn back and see that Drew is still standing by the couch, looking confused, hurt, and betrayed. I don't know where the anger went but right now all I see on his face is utter defeat. Delivering the final blow to this conversation, I say, "Drew, it's over." With that, I walk out the door.

With nowhere in particular in mind, I start to wander along the sidewalk. I know I could call Adam, but I need time alone. I find myself at a little park near the school and take a seat on the swing set. No one else is around which means it's safe to surrender myself to my thoughts.

Maybe I shouldn't have told Drew the truth. I could have just broken up with him, instead I shattered his heart and then broke up with him. Way to kick a man when he's down. God I'm a shitty person. Out of all the ways I could have handled that, I chose the worst way possible. With the sad realization that it's really over with Drew, I feel a few tears start to slide down my cheeks. I do feel sad over the break up, even though I was the one ending things. Drew wasn't the perfect guy, or the perfect boyfriend, but he loved me. And I loved him. Maybe I was never in love with him, but I know a part of him stole my heart. It's not like we weren't good together, because we were. Honestly, there was a time I thought he was the one for me. I thought I found a piece of forever with Drew. But things change, people change, circumstances change. Ending this chapter of my life hurts, but I know it opens the door to another great chapter. Regardless if the next chapter in my life involves Adam or not, I did what was best for me.

A/N: Sorry this update took longer, I've had serious writer's block. I can't promise that it won't happen again, but if it does, the #1 cure for writer's block is reviews from the readers! So please, review! Also, I need your input on where to take this story, because I'm drawing blanks. Drew's been taken care of, kind of, but should he find out Adam is the guy Bianca cheated on him with? Should Adam pursue Bianca? Should Bianca pursue Adam? Also, who do you want to see interact with either Bianca or Adam next? Thanks for reading, I'll update as soon as you guys give me direction!


	18. Chapter 18

Adam's POV

I feel my phone buzz, informing me that I have a text message. Finally Bianca texted me, I can go see her now. I cut Eli off mid-sentence as he's telling me about his summer plans with Clare, "Eli, I gotta go," I say quick;y, getting up from my seat.

"Alright. Catch you later, man," he says as I head for the door. I wonder if he feels like how I usually feel like when he dips out on me for Clare. Since when did hanging out with your girlfriend become more fun than hanging with your best friend? Whatever happened to bros before hoes? I think I've gotten bitter about relationships, I've been single too long.

As I walk out of The Dot I pull my phone out of my pocket to read the text message, to my surprise it's not from Bianca, it's from my brother, "Bianca dumped me." The text is disturbingly too simple for everything to be okay. I know Drew, if he's not angry about this that means he's depressed. Fighting the urge to go find Bianca, I decide to check on my brother. He needs me more than she does right now.

I hop in my car and drive back to my house.

Walking up to the front door, I can hear music playing from within the house. When I open the door the full effect of the music blares into my ears, the source sounds like it's coming from the downstairs. The neighbors won't be happy.

I shut the door and head toward the basement. The first thing I notice is Drew sitting on the floor with his back leaning against the couch. He looks so alone, sitting there by himself, wallowing. I walk a little closer and notice the open bottle of vodka sitting next to him. Looks like he found something to help with the pain.

The music is too loud for us to talk so I just walk over to him and take a seat next to him. He looks up at me and I offer a little head nod. He grabs the vodka bottle and takes a swig of liquor before passing it to me. I guess my brother and I are getting drunk tonight. I take the bottle and swallow a gulp of vodka, feeling it burn all the way down my throat. We sit like that for at least a half an hour, passing the bottle back and forth, neither of us saying a thing as we get drunker and drunker.

Finally, Drew picks up the stereo remote and turns off the music, which is nice because it was starting to give me a headache. I pass him back the almost empty bottle of vodka to which he just holds in his hands, staring at the label.

Drew takes a deep breath before saying, "I fucked up." I've never known Drew to own up to his actions, he's not exactly the accountable type. He must seriously be depressed.

"Nahhh, bitches be bitchesss," I say slurring the words a little. I don't know what made me say that, especially because I don't think Bianca is a bitch, but I blame the alcohol.

Drew laughs a little before he gets a somber look on his face and takes another sip of vodka, "Not this time, it's all on me bro, I ruined things." I can hear the self-loathing in his voice, which is very unlike Drew. He looks completely miserable. I guess getting dumped by the perfect girl does this to a guy.

"You'll find a new girl, a better girl, a hotter girl," I say nudging him in the arm playfully.

"No one's better than Bianca," he says gloomily. That's true, she's as good as it gets. He continues, "The worst thing about this is knowing I wasn't good enough for her."

"What do you mean?" I ask confused. It's always been the opposite, Bianca's always tried to fit into Drew's life. Why does Drew suddenly think he's not good enough?

"I wasn't good enough for her so she found someone else," he says and I can see his grip on the bottle getting tighter. How did she have time to find someone else? She's been with me all weekend.

"Who?" I asks curiously, probably not the best question to cheer my brother up but I want to know.

"She wouldn't tell me," he says gritting his teeth. Damn, maybe she'll tell me if I ask her.

"Oh," I say disappointingly. I wonder who this 'fantastic' guy is that came in a swept Bianca off her feet, right out of Drew's arms. Whoever he is, out of loyalty to my brother, I hate him. I don't hate Bianca, but I hate the guy she's with.

I feel my pocket vibrate, I check my phone and see a text from Fiona, "Where are you?" The time on my phone says its 11:01pm.

I send back a quick response, "My houde." Noticing my typo I send another text, "*hoise." I sent it before realizing I made another typo. Fuck, drunk texting is no good.

Drew speaks up, "Who's that?" He asks, referring to my phone.

"Fiona," I answer. "You gonna be okay or do you want me to stay?" I ask.

"I'm good Adam, thanks for being here though," he says patting me on the back.

"No problem bro," I say getting up from the floor and stumbling toward the stairs.

I wouldn't say I'm wasted, but I'm definitely drunk. I struggle up the stairs, using the railing to keep me up, and barely make it to the front door. Knowing that I'm in no shape to drive, I start stumbling along the sidewalk. I can pick up my car tomorrow.

I walk for a few minutes before realizing I can't make it all the way to Fiona's place, I'll need a ride. I decide to call Fiona, "Heyyy Fiiii, can ya come get me?" I ask, slurring a little.

"Are you drunk?" She asks in a surprised voice. Why is it a surprise that I'd be drunk? Can't I have a little fun once in a while? Not that getting drunk with my brother and attending his pity party was what I'd call fun, but still.

"Nooooo," I lie unconvincingly.

"Tell the truth," she demands.

"Fineee mom, I'm drunk," I confess.

"Where are you?" She asks, sounding worried. I like that she worries, its nice knowing that someone's looking out for me.

I look around, "A park," I answer. At least I think it's a park, it's got a play structure, a sandbox, and I think I see a swing set in the distance.

"Which one?" Fiona asks. No idea.

I shrug, but after a second I remember she can't see me, "Dunno," I say.

"Is it the one by your house?" She asks. Oh yeah, it is the one by my house! Gosh, she's smart.

"Yupp," I say and hang up the phone. No one has time to answer all those pesky questions.

She sends a text that says, "On my way."

I slide my phone back into my pocket before walking toward the park's swing set.

…..

Bianca's POV

"Adam?" I call out. I can see the outline of his body walking toward me, or shall I say faltering toward me.

"God?" He asks with uncertainty, looking around in confusion.

"No stupid, it's Bianca," I say. Is he drunk? He looks disoriented, he can't walk straight, and he's talking a little funny. He gets a little closer when I ask, "Are you drunk Adam?"

"Mayyyybe," he says drawing out his words.

He can hardly maintain his balance as he's walking, "You need to sit down," I say. He takes my suggestion literally and sits down in the grass. "I meant next to me," I say.

"Ohhh," he says getting up. He walks, poorly, over to the open swing next to me and collapses into the seat. He puts his arm around my swing pulling me closer and leans in, "Can I tell you a secret?" He whispers.

"Okay," I say nodding my head. Is this going to be some drunk confession?

Adam reaches up with his left hand and turns my head to face him. Knowing what's coming next, my heart beat picks up in anticipation. He leans in slowly and presses a soft kiss on my lips, lasting only a second. I can see the goofy grin on his face as he pulls away.

A smile spreads across my face, mirroring his own, "I like that secret," I whisper.

"Wanna hear it again?" He asks. I nod my head yes. He leans in and kisses me again, just like the first one. This time when he pulls away, he has a more serious look on his face.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"I want to be with you Bee, but I can't," he says in an upset voice. He went from happy to sad in like 5 seconds.

"Why not?" I ask. If it's because of Drew, that's going to majorly suck. Drew will get over it, he shouldn't get to stand in the way of me and Adam being together.

"You have another guy," he says sounding disappointed. Where is he getting this stuff?

"What guy?" I question. There is no other guy, it's always been Adam.

"The guy you left Drew for," he clarifies. I start to laugh, he's so off base and doesn't even know it. How can he be so blind? How can he not see that he's the guy I want to be with?

"Adam," I say shaking my head, "You're so stupid."

"That's why you won't be with me?" He asks. "Because I can change, I'd change for you Bee, I'd do anything for you. Just give me a chance," he pleads.

"You don't have to change," I say reassuringly. Am I going to have to spell it out for this guy?

"What's this other guy got that I don't?" He asks defensively, crossing his arms like a child would and pouting.

"You're a lot alike, actually," I say trying to give him a hint.

"What's his name?" he asks.

"Adam," I reply. Okay he has to get it after I told him that, only a completely oblivious person would miss that hint.

"What?" He says sounding shocked, "First he stole my girl and now he stole my name!" I can't help but smile when he calls me his girl, I never knew he thought of me like that. I mean there's so much I'm discovering from drunk Adam.

"He didn't steal anything from you because he is you," I relent, finally telling Adam the truth. I feel a sense of relief as I finally confess my feelings for Adam.

"He's me? I'm him? We're the same person?" He says confused.

"Yes," I say.

"So you like me? You wanna be with me?" He asks, still trying to connect all the dots.

Instead of answering him, I close the gap between us and kiss him. His lips instantly respond, pressing against mine.

Before anything gets too heated a voice interrupts us, "Uh guys? Should I come back later?" I break the kiss, which puts a pout on Adam's face, and look up to see Fiona standing a few feet away. She has a pleasantly surprised look on her face.

"Yes," Adam answers, leaning in to kiss me again. I let him give me a quick kiss before pushing him away.

"Come on Fi, help me get him to the car," I say slowly pulling Adam up from the swing.

"I can do it myself," he says taking a step forward and almost falling over. I reach out and grab him, putting his arm around my shoulder. Fiona gets the other side of him as we walk Adam toward the car.

Adam's quite chatty once we get him in the car, "Where are we going?" He asks eagerly, "On an adventure?"

"Yeah, an adventure to Fiona's loft," I say, playing along.

"Cool! What are we gonna do once we get there?" He asks. He has so much energy all of a sudden. Eventually he'll calm down and pass out, I just hope that doesn't happen until Fiona and I put him to sleep.

"It's night time Adam, we're gonna go to bed," Fiona says.

"Sleep?" He says like he doesn't understand.

"Yes, sleep," Fiona says.

"In a bed?" He asks.

"Yes in a bed," I answer, talking slowly so he'll understand. Okay note to self, Adam is a lot slower when he drinks alcohol. It's a little bit like communicating with a 5 year old.

"Together?" He asks me, a grin spreading across his face. Maybe he's not so dumb after all.

"We'll see," I tease.

Adam changes subjects, "Oh yeah! Fi guess what?" He says enthusiastically. "Bianca likes me," he says proudly. "She kissed me and everything!" He says, talking like I'm not there.

"I know, I saw," Fiona says, smiling at Adam in the rearview mirror. She looks over at me and asks, "So you told him you liked him?"

"Technically he told me first," I say. The alcohol gave him the courage neither of us had sober.

He leans forward over the back of my seat and whispers, "Technically I showed you." He gives me a quick peck on the cheek before sitting back down.

I feel myself start to blush, still not used to all this affection from Adam. Fiona speaks up, "I'm happy for the both of you," she says sincerely.

"Thanks Fi," I say genuinely. With all the challenges Adam and I will have to face, it's good to know we have at least one person rooting for us.

After a few quiet minutes, I glance at the backseat and see Adam passed out. Thank god Fiona has an elevator, or else there's no way we could get him upstairs to the loft. We finally get there and Fiona tries to wake Adam up, "Wake up Adam, we're here," she says gently shaking him.

"Five more minutes mom," he says in a low, barely awake voice.

"Wake up Adam," I whisper in his ear. He opens his eyes and lets out a yawn. He's slow moving but we manage to get him out of the car and up the elevator. "Come on, bed time," I say as Fiona and I walk him to the guest bedroom. We lie him down on the bed, "I got it from here Fi," I say.

"Okay, I'll see you two in the morning," she says turning to leave.

"Hey Fi," I say and she turns around to face me, "Thanks for everything," I say walking toward her and giving her a quick hug. I don't have best friends, let alone friends that are girls, but Fiona's the closest thing to it.

"Goodnight Bee," she says exiting the room.

I turn back toward the bed expecting to see a passed out Adam, but the bed's empty. Instead I see him standing in front of the bathroom sink, gargling mouth wash.

I walk toward the bathroom and lean against the door frame, "What are you doing?" I ask.

He spits out the mouthwash and says, "You a favor."

Adam has a stupid grin on his face. I already know what he's thinking about when he reaches out and grabs my hand, pulling me in for a kiss that I reciprocate. My hands snake around his neck, gently tugging on his hair. He bites the bottom of my lip aggressively, then sooths it with his tongue. I part my lips, allowing our tongues to meet as he continues to kiss me. He tastes minty fresh. Adam starts to guide us over to the bed, turning off the bathroom light on the way but never breaking our kiss.

We fall onto the bed together which causes our lips to part, but it's only a moment before Adam's lips find mine again. He has one arm supporting his weight as he lies on top of me and the other is tracing circles under the fabric of my shirt, feeling slightly ticklish but oh so sensual.

"Wait," I say, pulling myself away from all the good feelings Adam was making me feel.

"What's wrong?" He asks, removing his hand from under my shirt and shifting his body so he's lying next to me rather than on top of me. "Did I do something?" He asks.

"No, it's just… I don't want this to be some drunk hookup," I say, worried that he's going to feel like I'm rejecting him.

He seems to ponder my words for a moment. "Okay," he says leaning in and giving me a chaste kiss on the lips before lying on his back and pulling the sheets up to cover us. It's good to know drunk Adam is as understanding as sober Adam, maybe the alcohol didn't change him as much as I thought. He's still the same lovable, cute guy I was hanging out with earlier today.

He lifts his arm and I snuggle up closer to him, resting my head right above his heartbeat.

"Good night Bee," he whispers, kissing the top of my head. I fall asleep to the rhythmic beat of his heart.

A/N: Reviews would be nice! I'll keep up the good work, but only with your encouragement! :)


	19. Chapter 19

Adam's POV

Oh god, why is my head pounding? It feels like my own personal rock concert is performing inside my brain, amps cranked up to the fullest and an entire rowdy crowd in attendance. Where am I anyways? I feel around with my hands. In a bed, definitely in a bed. Maybe I made it back to Fiona's. She must have picked me up from my house or something. Why can't I remember?

After lying in bed for a few minutes, trying to fall back asleep in hopes of ridding myself of this headache, I realize the effort is futile. I'll need some water and a cold shower if I want to feel any better. I swing my legs over the side of the bed and sit up. The clock says it's already in the afternoon, I wonder how long I've been out. I let out a weak yawn and rub some of the sleep out of my eyes. I warily make my way into the bathroom for a quick shower. I take a quick glance in the mirror as I step into the bathroom, I've definitely looked better.

30 minutes later, I'm dressed and feeling a little better now that I've cleaned up. I head out to the kitchen and grab a bottle of water from the fridge. Still no sign of Fiona or Bianca. Did Bianca even make it back here last night? I was supposed to pick her up, but clearly I was incapable of doing so. Maybe she went home instead.

I notice a note lying on the kitchen counter with my name written in big letters on it. I pick it up to read it, "ADAM, Bianca and I went shopping - Princess Fiona," she signs her name in big scribbly cursive. I guess that answers my question, Bianca was here last night. How did she get here? Where did she sleep? On the couch? And since when are Bianca and Fiona shopping buddies?

I chug my water, grab another one to go, and head back to the bedroom in hopes of sleeping off the rest of this hangover. After staring at the ceiling for a solid 10 minutes, the hydration finally kicks in, my headache subsides, and I manage to drift off to sleep.

…..

Bianca's POV

"Do you think Adam would like this?" I ask, slightly embarrassed from being so exposed in front of strangers. I tried on a pink and black, laced corset with matching panties, per Fiona's recommendation. I do a quick spin in front of the mirror, checking myself out in process.

When Fiona suggested we lingerie shop, I definitely wasn't too excited, but now that I'm here trying on different things it's not as bad as I thought. I like imagining Adam's reaction to seeing me in certain outfits. Would he think I look sexy? More importantly, would he act on it?

"His jaw would hit the floor," Fiona answers, "You have to get that."

I do look pretty hot, I guess it's a keeper. I head back in the changing room, "Aren't you going to try something on?" I call out while getting dressed.

"No, Immy picks out my outfits," Fiona says, "That's how we keep things fresh." Ah, maybe a little too much information. Now I have the mental image stuck in my head.

I purchase the lingerie then Fiona and I head to the food court. I find a table for us to sit at as Fiona orders the food. I check my phone, still nothing from Adam. It's already past 3:00 in the afternoon, is he still asleep? I was sure that he would at least send me a text when he woke up.

Fiona walks back to the table with two trays of food and instantly notices my disappointed look, "No word from Adam?" She asks, setting down the trays on the table.

"Not yet," I say, trying to keep my voice indifferent.

"So," Fiona says nodding toward the lingerie shopping bag, "Have you thought of what it would be like to be with Adam?" She asks.

"Sure I have," I reply, taking a bite of food.

"But like realistically, I mean. You know physically he lacks some essential guy parts," Fiona says, pointing out the obvious.

"Fi, I'm eating," I say gesturing to the food in front of us. Honestly, I only want to change the subject because I don't really know how to talk about it. I have thought about it, a lot actually, but it hasn't really registered with me. I've never been with a girl, I wouldn't know what to do. Like I understand Adam's a guy and everything, but I wouldn't know how to make him feel good. This is probably everything I should be telling Fiona, she would know what to say.

She ignores my attempt at changing the subject, "Have things gotten physical between you two?" She asks.

Well let's see, there was the closet. Our first encounter. It was rushed, heated, and forbidden, but also amazing. I remember doing my best to stay quiet and suppress a moan while his lips relentlessly attacked my neck. It sparked intense feelings for me that I realized I needed to explore. Then there was the boat. It was unexpected, passionate, and romantic. It will forever be one of my favorite road trips. And there was last night, which didn't go very far before I put the brakes on it. I fell asleep in Adam's warm embrace and woke up the same way, with him holding onto me tightly.

"Maybe," I say coyly, a little smile appearing on my face as I reminisce about Adam.

"Oh god, am I going to have to burn the guest bedroom sheets?" She asks, only slightly kidding.

"No don't be ridiculous, things haven't gone that far," I say. But if this new lingerie has any say in the matter, I think things will definitely progress with Adam.

"But you're okay with everything?" Fiona asks.

"I guess so. The way I see it is, I like Adam a lot. I want to be with him in every way possible. I don't know what he's comfortable with yet, but whatever happens I'll take it in stride," I reply, managing to sum up how I feel.

"He was very cool about it when we we're together," Fiona says, "It was never awkward. I guess Adam has that ability to always put people at easy and make them feel comfortable." I totally forgot they dated, what was that, like two years ago? Nothing I should be jealous about, yet I can feel the little green monster inside of me that wants to know more.

"How far did things go between you two?" I ask casually, but inside I'm dying to know. I never pictured Adam with a different girl. I guess I never pegged him as experienced. But that would explain why he always knows what to do whenever we're together.

"It doesn't matter, it was ages ago," Fiona says, trying to dodge the question.

"Were you his first?" I ask, only showing a hint of jealousy. Keep calm Bianca, it's no big deal. You've been with other guys. There's no reason Adam shouldn't have a history with girls. At least that's what I'll try to convince myself.

"First girlfriend? No," Fiona says, avoiding my real question.

"I meant first time," I clarify. I narrow my eyes at her, I don't like how dodgy she's being. It only makes me more suspicious.

"This is a conversation you should be having with Adam," She says. "Speaking of Adam, we should probably head back to the loft. He's had the place all to himself for hours now, I need to make sure he hasn't burnt it down," Fiona says jokingly, her way of getting out of the conversation. Which was actually pretty smart because she knows how badly I want to see Adam.

…..

Adam's POV

My phone buzzes on the nightstand next to the bed, meaning that someone texted me. It's probably nothing important. I roll on my side, away from the phone, and tuck the pillow under my head. I don't know how long I've been sleeping but the headaches finally gone, so that's good.

My phone goes off again, but this time it's ringing which means someone's calling. I guess it is important. I grab my phone from the stand next to me and answer without even checking who's calling, "What?" I ask in a tired voice.

"Adam you need to get home now! Mom and dad said they'd be home around 5 o'clock, and it's already 4:41," Drew says urgently. Crap, I forgot about mom and dad. They don't know I spent the weekend at Fiona's.

"Shit," I say smacking my forward, "I'm on my way," I say climbing out of bed.

"You do know your cars still here, right?" Drew points out.

"Can you pick me up?" I ask while throwing all my clothes into my duffle bag.

"We can't both be gone when our parents get home," Drew says.

I zip up my bag and head for the elevator, "I'll get a ride," I say.

"Be fast," Drew says, then hangs up the phone.

I push the elevator call button repeatedly, willing it to go faster. When the doors finally open I see Fiona and Bianca standing there carrying shopping bags. Thank god they're back.

"Hey Prince Adam," Fiona greets as the two of them step out of the elevator.

I step between them into the elevator, pulling Fiona along with me, "I need to get home before my parents." I push the button that leads to the parking garage then press the one that closes the doors quickly. I glance at Bianca, "See you at school," I say as the elevator doors close. Fiona looks a little confused but doesn't complain. "Sorry I'm hijacking you, but my cars at my house," I say as an explanation and an apology.

"It's okay Adam, just take a breath," She says trying to calm down my urgency. I do as she says and take a deep breath. "Better?" She asks.

"Yeah, I'm good," I say. I notice she still has the shopping bags in her hand because I didn't give her anytime to set them down, so I offer to hold them, "I can carry those," I say reaching out and grabbing her bags.

"Oh, thanks Adam," She says appreciatively.

"Did you buy the whole mall?" I ask jokingly, noticing that the bags are kind of heavy. Who knew clothes could weigh this much? She has seven bags from seven different stores full of god knows what.

"Well you know, a girl has her needs," She says winking at me.

"Right," I say, not really getting it but understanding that it's a girl thing.

The elevator doors open and we walk to her car. I place her bags in the backseat and take a seat up front with Fiona. She starts the car and speeds off in the direction of my house.

"Bianca got some good stuff too," She says smiling at me. What is that supposed to mean?

"Good for her?" I say confused. Is there an inside joke I'm missing out on or something?

"More like good for you," Fiona says suggestively. Okay now I'm really confused.

"Why would that be good for me?" I ask. Fiona gives me a weird look before turning her attention back to the street. "Am I missing something?" I ask, clearly oblivious to whatever is going on.

"What? No. Sorry I was confused, forget it," She says dismissing the conversation. I take a hard look at her and notice she looks bothered. Like she's having an internal debate or something. I wonder what's going on inside that head of hers. Whatever it is, she isn't privy to share.

"Alright," I say giving her another confused look. That was a weird conversation. Is she hiding something from me? I don't have enough time to ponder it because a few minutes later she's pulling up in front of my house. I instantly spot my parents car in the driveway. Shit. "Thanks for the ride Fi," I say as I exit the vehicle.

"Yeah sure," She says distractedly. Why is she being so weird? The second I close the passenger she speeds off. I'm guessing she remembered something important she had to do.

I walk up to my front door and open it quietly, hoping I can sneak in and avoid getting in trouble.

My mom isn't fooled for one second, "Adam Torres where have you been?" She asks sternly from the kitchen.

"At The Dot?" I answer hesitantly.

"With a duffle bag?" She asks, pointing at the bag slung over my shoulder. "Want to try again?" She asks.

"I stayed at Eli's last night," I lie. Better she thinks I was with Eli than if she finds out I stayed at an ex-girlfriends loft, without parents, for the entire weekend.

"Why didn't you call and tell us?" She asks, still mad.

"It was spontaneous thing," I say unconvincingly. I've never been good at lying. I need to learn from Drew and Dallas.

"I see," she says folding her arms over her chest, "Well let's see, you lied about where you were and you didn't check with your father and I first to ask permission. I think grounded for a week. Sound fair to you?" She asks, not that I really have a say in the matter.

Considering that if she found out the truth about where I was all weekend the situation would be way worse, I'll take my weeks' worth of punishment. "Fair," I say nodding my head.

She sighs, knowing she won the battle, "Dinner will be ready in 10, go clean up," she says ending the lecture.

I head upstairs and drop my bag in my room. I collapse on my bed, still worn out from drinking last night. Hangovers suck. That's another thing that mom can never find out about. I hope Drew was smart enough to fill the vodka bottle with some water.

…..

Bianca's POV

Adam was kind of strange when he left, he hardly paid any attention to me. I don't know, maybe I'm reading into things, but I thought he'd be more excited to see me. It's probably just because he was in a rush. I'm sure he'll text me tonight and reassure me that all is right in the world.

I head into the guest bedroom to put my new clothes away and  
pack up my things. Now that Adam's gone home that probably means I should leave too. I send Fiona a text telling her I'm going home and call a cab to come pick me up.

I'm in the cab when I receive a text message. Hoping its Adam, I eagerly search through my bag to find my phone. Unfortunately when I look at my screen I see it's Fiona replying to my first text, "We need to talk." We need to talk? Isn't that usually a thing someone says to someone else when they're about to have the break up conversation? No good has ever come from the phrase 'we need to talk.'

I send a short reply, "Okay."

She quickly responds, "Meet me The Dot?" Oh no, a face-to-face conversation? Now I'm assuming the worst. What's so important that she can't tell me over the phone? Or tomorrow at school?

"Sure," I reply, although really I want to say no way. I want to ignore whatever it is Fiona wants to hit me with. "Change of planes, can you take me to 3rd street?" I ask the cab driver. He just grunts in acknowledgement.

I pay the cab driver and grab my bag from his trunk. I head into The Dot and see Fiona is already sitting at a table, sipping on a latte. She looks scattered, or jittery, I hope that's just because of the coffee.

"Hey Fiona," I say reluctantly taking a seat across from her.

"Hey thanks for coming," She says cheerily but not smiling at all.

"No problem. So uh what'd you want to talk about?" I ask, getting straight to the point. I don't want to draw out whatever awful thing she has to tell me.

"Uh well, you see, I was uh talking to Adam on the drive to his house, and uh well I realized something…" She says, trailing off. Am I supposed to fill in the blank?

I assume the worst, "You realized you still like him?" I ask, feeling slightly betrayed already. I knew I could sense something between the two of them. I appreciate Fiona's guts for telling me this, and not going behind my back to steal my boyfriend, but how do I deal with this? Forbid them from seeing each other? Sadly this friendship is over before it even began.

Fiona interrupts my racing mind, "No of course not, I love Immy," She insists, "This has nothing to do with me." Phew! I sigh in relief. That's one less thing to worry about.

"So then what?" I ask, still confused. If it's not that, then what is it?

She hesitates, not sure how to continue, "Umm I don't think Adam remembers anything that happened last night," Fiona says, breaking the bad news.

I feel pain at the thought, how are my dreams already coming undone? On the outside, I manage to keep it together, "Okay, thanks for telling me," I say plainly, "Is that all?" I ask, keeping the cool, unaffected façade on my face.

"Uh yeah that's it," Fiona says, looking confused. I'm guessing she was expecting a different reaction from me. Well she's not going to get it, no more tears for either of the Torres brothers. If Adam doesn't remember, then that's whatever. Last night he told me everything that was in his heart, and just because he doesn't remember doesn't mean those feelings aren't still there. I just need sober Adam to admit them to me.

"Okay, no big deal," I say.

"Are you okay?" Fiona asks, gently reaching out to grab my hand. It was a nice gesture.

"Look Fi, just because he doesn't remember doesn't mean that none of it was real. I know how he feels about me, and once he knows I feel the same way I'm sure we'll be together," I say honestly.

She accepts that answer, "That's the right attitude," She says smiling. "So what's the plan?" She asks.

"I don't know. I'll see him tomorrow, talk to him, and see where it goes from there," I answer. It's not a grand plan but it will do.

"Sounds good, let's debrief tomorrow at lunch," She says, referring to the plan like it's a mission.

It all seems pretty simple to me, what could go wrong? The world wouldn't keep two people apart who are meant to be together, right?

A/N: Do you think this is going to fix itself? Is it as simple as Bianca thinks it will be? What do you guys want to happen? Tell me in the reviews please!


	20. Chapter 20

Adam's POV

I feel a million times better waking up this morning than I did compared to yesterday. So good in fact, I think I have a little bounce in my step. I'm ready before Drew is so I head down to the kitchen to grab breakfast.

Of course my mother is there too, "Sleep well?" She asks, coffee cup in hand.

"Yeah," I say not really paying attention. I pour a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice.

"So you'll come straight home from school?" My mother inquires, her way of reminding me I'm grounded. As if I would forget something like that.

"Yes ma'am," I say, faking a little salute toward her.

She rolls her eyes, "And where's your phone? I forgot to take that from you last night," she asks, holding out her free hand.

"Really mom?" I say, pulling my phone out of my pocket and handing it to her.

"Grounded means grounded," She says, not giving me any wiggle room.

She goes back to sipping coffee while I eat my breakfast and the kitchen remains quiet. Drew comes bounding down the stairs about five minutes late and heads for the front door, "Ready Adam?" He asks.

I've been ready. But instead of saying that, because I'm trying to cut heartbroken Drew some slack, I say, "Yeah." I put my dishes in the sink and grab my backpack as we head out the door.

I head to my locker before the first bell rings but I spot Blair lingering near my locker. Yikes. I decide I don't need my books. I turn on my heels and head in the other direction. The first friendly face I see is Becky, she's standing in front of her opened locker.

I lean against the locker next to her, "Good morning Baker," I say cheery.

She looks over at me and smiles, "Hey Adam, how was your weekend?" She asks casually.

A few images pop into my head. One of Bianca and me at Niagara Falls standing at the bow of the boat. Another of my brother and me getting drunk as he drowns his sorrows in alcohol. And lastly of me coming home late Sunday night and getting grounded for a week. "It was a bit of a rollercoaster," I say. "How about you?" I ask.

"It was really good, except on Saturday I was really looking forward to hanging out with this cute guy, but he cancelled on me." I smile when she calls me cute. Becky's rarely that forward.

"I'm sure he'll find a way to make it up to you," I promise. I hope that didn't come off too flirty or anything, I don't want to send mixed signals.

"He always does," She says closing her locker. "He can start by walking me to class," she says smiling at me and looping her arm through mine, leading the way toward our chemistry class. A few people notice us walking together but it doesn't really bother me, let them stare.

"No problem," I say as we navigate through the halls. Is this what it would feel like if Becky and I were dating? It's kind of nice.

"And he can come over after school to work on our chemistry project," Becky suggests.

"I don't know Becky," I say unsurely, "Your dad isn't exactly my number one fan." An evening with the Bakers is asking for disaster.

"My mom and dad will be at Luke's hockey game," Becky answers. A few moments pass as I think about her offer. "Come on please," Becky says tugging on my arm.

"I wish I could, but I'm grounded," I say. She looks extremely bummed out, which I don't like at all, "but you could probably come over. My mom won't be upset if I'm doing school work," I say, compromising.

"Yay!" Becky says eagerly, smiling ear to ear. Her infectious smile makes me start grinning, she's the cutest when she's happy. It doesn't seem so long ago that I would go out of my way just to make her laugh and see that beautiful smile.

Class starts and we take our separate seats. Occasionally I'd glance at Becky and catch her staring at me, and every time she would smile at me before turning away.

Eli starts to catch on, "Something going on between you and Becky?" He whispers.

"I don't know, we're hanging out tonight," I respond.

"Like a date?" He asks. Is it a date? It sounded more like a study session, and when Becky means study she literally plans on studying. So maybe this is just a friendly get together.

"More like a study thing," I clarify.

…..

Bianca's POV

I hear Adam and Eli talking about Becky again, something about Adam and her hanging out tonight. I need to talk to Adam as soon as possible because I can't help but feel like the window of opportunity is closing.

I scribble a quick note on a piece of paper, "Want to have lunch with me?" I toss it onto his desk when the teacher isn't looking.

I hear Eli ask, "What's it say?" Usually I don't appreciate nosy people, but I know Eli is Adam's best friend and they probably tell each other everything anyway.

I hear Adam unfold the note, he's probably reading it right now. "Nothing," he says, replying to Eli. I hear him write something back before tapping me on the shoulder and passing the note back. We briefly lock eyes when I turn around for the note. The smile on his face already tells me that it's a yes for lunch.

I read what he wrote and I can't help but smile, "Wouldn't miss it." He may not remember what happened Saturday night, but he's still the same sweet guy toward me.

I find Fiona during break between 2nd and 3rd period, "Hey I'm going to have to postpone our lunch plans," I say apologetically. I hope she doesn't think I'm ditching her or anything.

"Oh okay, what for?" She asks curiously. At least she's not mad.

"Adam and I are going to have lunch together," I say smiling. If anyone can share in the happiness with me, it's Fiona. She's like the only one who supports the idea of Adam and I together.

"Oooh that's exciting, do you have a plan to help jog his memory?" She asks.

"I think so," I say. I'm going to set up a picnic in the park, the park we were at Saturday night when he confessed his feelings for me. And if that still doesn't help, I'll have to resort to some persuasive tactics that Adam won't be able to resist.

"Good luck and call me later to tell me everything," Fiona says enthusiastically.

"I hope I have good news to tell you," I say.

"Don't worry, you will," she says confidently.

…..

Adam's POV

It's the class before lunch and it's dragging on. I can't focus on the teacher at all, my thoughts are preoccupied with Bianca. I'm a little surprised she wants to have lunch with me, but it's a good surprised. I wonder if Fiona meddled or if Bianca thought of this on her own. Either way, I get to spend lunch with the girl that I like.

The last 10 minutes of class felt endless, but alas, the bell finally rings. I'm the first one out of classroom as I eagerly make my way toward Bianca's locker. I turn the corner and see Bianca waiting for me by her locker. I pause for a moment, staring at the incredible girl waiting for me, and grinning like an idiot. You can do this Adam. Go be with her.

I hardly take a step forward before I feel someone grab my arm and pull me back around the corner, away from Bianca. "What the fuck?" I say, turning around to see Dallas.

"You have to come with me now," Dallas says urgently. Nothing he could possibly say could convince me to ditch Bianca. The world could be ending and I still wouldn't cancel my lunch date with Bianca.

"I can't I have-"

Dallas cuts me off, "It can wait. Drew needs us." Fuck.

I glance over my shoulder toward what's awaiting me around the corner. I know what I want to do and I know what I need to do, but they're two completely different things. I need to be a good brother, "Let's go," I say to Dallas.

Fuck, I hope Bianca will forgive me.

I follow Dallas to a storage room behind the theater. He takes two quick glances left and right before opening the door. We make our way through a bunch of props, costumes, and stage equipment before things clear out and I spot my brother sitting on a couch. The second thing I notice is the open beer cans and half-drunken liquor bottle on the table in front of him.

"Fuck," I mutter to no one in particular. "Did you find him like this?" I ask Dallas.

"Yeah, he drunk texted me," he says.

I take a seat on the couch next to Drew, "You okay bro?" I ask sympathetically. I know he's hurting right now because of the whole Bianca thing. I hate seeing my brother like this.

Drew mumbles something incoherent. He's slouched over, half sitting half laying on the couch. He's way too drunk to be at school. He can't talk, so if a teacher catches us he's screwed. And I doubt he can walk properly, so Dallas and I will have to get him out of here without being seen.

"Got a plan?" I ask Dallas.

"Not really," he says.

"Lunch just started, the halls will be filled with people. We can't get him out now," I say, trying to talk my way through some sort of plan. I have no idea what to do and the only person I would call for help in a situation like this is passed out in front of me. "Go get him some water for now, he'll need it if he doesn't want to feel like shit in a few hours," I tell Dallas.

Dallas makes his way out of the storage unit and toward the cafeteria.

I take a few minutes to hide the beer cans and liquor bottle in case someone finds us that shouldn't know about the condition my brother is in.

"I'm gonna puke," my brother says, which is the first thing he's said that I actually understood. I look around for something to give him and settle on a hat, probably someone's costume, and hand it to him to puke in. He grabs it and sits up in time to throw up into the hat. Gross. He hands me back the hat, which I reluctantly take and set down where I hid the alcohol.

"Feeling better?" I ask. He mumbles something I don't understand at first. "What?" I ask getting a little closer.

"Get Bianca," he mutters. I wonder if he wants her so they can talk or if he thinks she can help. Either way, it's a good idea. Bianca will know what to do with him.

"Alright stay here," I say, not that I really needed to. He looks like he won't be able to get up on his own for at least a few hours. He's too far gone.

I head to the cafeteria and look around, no sign of her. I walk around the halls a bit, checking places people occasionally eat lunch at. She's not there either. I head outside and look for her at the picnic tables, nothing. I wish I had my phone so I could just text her. I head back inside and decide to check for her at her locker. I turn the corner, the one I was at just minutes earlier, and find her still waiting at her locker. She's probably been here for at least 10 minutes.

"Bianca," I call out as I walk toward her.

"Late much?" She says, but doesn't sound too mad, "Come on, I'm hungry," she says tugging me toward away from where I need to be.

"I can't, uh I have to cancel our lunch plans. I need you to help me with something instead," I say. She looks confused, but still not upset, which is a good sign. Surprisingly she doesn't ask any questions as I take her hand and lead her toward the storage room.

I open the door and pull her in, "What are we doing here?" She asks. I just now realize what she must be thinking, me pulling her into a storage room alone, it probably looks a little sketchy.

I turn to face her, "Drew's drunk and hiding out in here. Dallas and I don't know what to do or how to get him out of here. I thought you could help," I say, filling her in on the situation.

"That's not what I thought you brought me here for," she says exhaling in relief.

"What'd you think I brought you here for?" I ask, giving her a confused look but grinning because I think I know the answer. I like that she was thinking about it, but I love that she went along with it too.

"Nothing," she says blushing. I give her a cocky smile and she rolls her eyes. She brushes past me, walking through the room to get to Drew, and I follow behind her.

We find Drew sitting up, which is a good sign, with his head rolled back looking at the ceiling. "How you feeling bro?" I call out.

His eyes are completely shut when he says, "Room. Spinning."

"Drew," Bianca says tentatively. She walks over to him and takes a seat next to him while I stay put. Its weird watching them from the outside perspective. Drew already looks at ease now that she's around and Bianca looks natural interacting with him. "Can you stand up, Drew?" She asks in a soft voice. She looks genuinely concerned for him, and all of a sudden I feel like the outsider in this situation, even though Drew's my brother.

I hear the storage door open and I freeze in slight panic. Thankfully it's just Dallas coming back with the water I asked him to get.

He notices Bianca as he gets closer, "I see you brought reinforcements," he says.

"Yeah," I say. Dallas hands the water to Bianca and sits on the other side of Drew. "So what should we do?" I ask to no one specifically.

"If a teacher sees him like this and Simpson finds out, we're all fucked," Dallas says, pointing out the obvious.

"I think we can get him to the car," Bianca says, "We just need a distraction of some sort."

"Like what?" I ask.

"Don't worry leave it to me," Dallas says, getting up from the couch with a mischievous grin. "In five minutes, the coast should be clear, alright? Get him out of here," Dallas says. God knows what plan he just cooked up in his head, but I know Dallas is good at creating trouble.

Dallas disappears out the door and I take a seat where he just was. "Thanks for helping Bee," I say.

"Of course," she replies. I wonder if she's helping because I asked her to or because she wants to help Drew. Or both.

After a few minutes I say, "It's probably safe for us to get him out of here." We pull Drew up, I'm supporting his right side while Bianca has his left. I open the storage room door and glance into the hallway, "All clear," I say as we walk him through the halls. It's actually completely empty, no students or teachers anywhere. I wonder what Dallas did.

Drew's dragging his feet, making it tough to move him along, but we finally make it out the front steps of the school and to the parking lot. I unlock the car and we awkwardly place him in the passenger seat before I shut the door.

Phew, I sigh in relief, "Thank you Bee, I couldn't have managed this without you." I take a step closer to her and put my arms around her. I feel her arms go around my back and her head rest against me, reciprocating the hug. This was meant to be a thank you hug but neither of us are pulling away. After a few more seconds of enjoying this hug I say, "I should get going, I need to get him home."

"Okay," she says, reluctantly letting me go.

"I don't have my phone but I'll talk to you tomorrow," I say. She smiles at me before turning around and walking back toward the school. I briefly watch her leave before getting into my car and pulling out of the parking lot.

I manage to get Drew into the house, up the stairs, and on his bed. I grab him a water from the fridge and set it on his nightstand. I also take the trashcan from the bathroom and put it near his bed, in case he needs to puke. He looks pretty passed out, so I figure it's safe to leave him alone.

I go downstairs and notice the clock on the microwave says its past 2:00. The school day is almost over and my parents should be home in about 2 hours. Hopefully Drew can pull it together by then. But I doubt it.

I check the answering machine for a call from school. Fortunately, school has already called and left a voicemail for my parents, "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Torrres, your sons Adam and Drew did not attend most of their classes today. They will be marked for their unexcused absences and you have been notified. Call back if you have any questions. Have a nice day." I erase the message.

I take few minutes to relax before I remember that Becky will probably be here in an hour. I have a lot on my plate right now, and I'd rather cancel on Becky, but I don't have my phone to do so. So I guess I'll just get ready. I take the time to clean up the downstairs before she gets here. I take a quick shower and change my clothes. I check on Drew one more time, he's right where I left him.

I hear the doorbell ring while I'm brushing my teeth in the upstairs bathroom. I quickly rinse out my mouth and head downstairs. I open the door to a smiling Becky.

"Hey Adam," she says cheerfully.

"Hey Becky," I say moving aside so she can come inside. "So listen, I had to leave school early today and I didn't bring home any of my chemistry stuff. If you want to cancel this study thing, that's cool with me," I offer.

"That's okay, we can just hang out," she says.

"Alright, uh can I get you anything?" I ask.

"I'll have whatever you get for yourself," she says taking off her jacket and hanging it on the coat rack. She looks really pretty, she's not in the outfit she had on at school. She's in a white summery dress. I quickly avert my eyes, careful not to stare.

I go to the fridge, grab two waters, and a bag of pretzels for snacks.

"Let's head downstairs," I say leading the way. I've never been alone in the basement with Becky before. I mean, really I've never been alone with Becky ever. It's a little unnerving.

I set our snacks down on the table in front of the couch before grabbing the remote and taking a seat. She looks a little unsure of herself as she sits down next to me. I'm glad I'm not the only one who is uncomfortable with the situation.

"So," she says, turning to face me, "Why'd you have to leave school early? She asks.

"I had to take Drew home, he's sick," I say, leaving out the part involving the alcohol and sneaking him out of school unseen. Becky's an understanding person, but I'm almost positive she wouldn't understand Drew getting drunk at school. Or alcohol consumption in general.

"Oh should we cook him soup or something?" Becky asks. Leave it to Becky to be caring and considerate for someone she hardly knows. It just adds to the many things that make Becky Baker an incredible person.

"I don't think he'll be able to keep it down," I say. He's probably puking his guts out right now.

"Oh okay," she says.

"How's the fundraising for school going?" I ask, changing topics. Becky's on the committee, I don't really know what she does, but I know she's a hard worker for a good cause.

"It's okay, but it's a lot of work and not enough people to help out," she says.

"Is there anything I could do?" I offer.

"We could make posters to hang up around school reminding people to buy tickets for the raffle happening at the end of the week," she suggests.

"Okay, we have poster board and whatnot around here somewhere," I say getting up from the couch and searching for arts and craft materials. "This good?" I ask holding up a few blue poster boards, glue, and colored markers.

"Perfect," she says taking the board from me. We set everything up on the table and get to work. Becky's doing pretty much everything since I don't have a creative bone in my body, but occasionally she'll ask me to cut something out or glue something onto the board. Mostly I just watch her work. She's very methodical about everything.

"You're good at this," I point out.

"Thanks," she says smiling at my compliment. "You know what's funny?" She asks, already sort of giggling.

"What's that?" I ask curiously.

"Making these posters reminds me of how my dad found out about us," she says.

"Tell me the story," I say, leaning back against the couch.

She takes a break from the poster board creation and leans back next to me. "Well," she starts out, "I was so happy we were together that when I got home I decorated this little poster with our initials on it," she confesses. That's adorable. Only Becky would do something like that. "And when my dad got home he saw it and asked me who A-T was."

"And knowing you, you're not the best liar," I laugh. Another quality I find endearing, honesty is totally underrated.

"Right," she says giggling, "I'm a terrible liar. So it only took him seconds before he figured out that you were someone special to me." I like that I'm special to her. There was a time she was special to me too.

"Well if it makes you feel any better, my parents had it figured out by dinner time," I admit. With Drew and Dallas teasing me mercilessly and my obvious different behavior, I wasn't exactly same old Adam.

"Really? And how'd they figure it out?" She asks.

"I couldn't stop smiling that night and my mom called me out on it," I say. For the brief time we were together, there's no doubt I was happy. Everyone could see it too.

We have a brief moment where I contemplate kissing her, she's looking at me as I stare back at her, and the desire is there. But before I lean in, I think of Bianca. An image of her face pops into my head. I turn my head away from Becky, "We should get back to work," I say nodding toward the poster.

"Okay," she says, going back to whatever it is she was doing before.

My mother comes home after a while. "Drew? Adam?" She calls out as she walks down the stairs.

"Hey mom, Drew's upstairs in his room and uh Becky's here because I'm helping her on some school stuff," I say.

My mom makes her pleasantries, "Hello Becky, it's nice to meet you," before turning her attention toward me, "Adam can I talk to you for a minute?" I can tell by the glare on her face that she isn't happy.

"Sure," I say getting up and walking toward her.

"What part of grounded don't you understand?" She whispers sternly.

"I know mom, I'm sorry. She asked for my help and I didn't want to say no," I reply.

My mom sighs in annoyance, "No more friends over, got it?" She says.

"Got it," I say.

Before I turn to leave she starts to talk again, "So that's The Becky?" She asks curiously, her anger greatly dissipated.

Now it's my turn to sigh, "Yes that's Becky," I answer.

"Hmm," my mother says, not really giving much away. "Becky, will you be staying for dinner?" My mother asks. That was surprisingly cool of my mother to offer, I never thought she would approve of the girls I was interested in.

"No thank you Mrs. Torres, I told my parents I would be home soon," Becky responds politely. Part of me is relieved, Becky needs to go home. The other part is a little disappointed though because I was enjoying her company.

"We'll finish up here," I assure my mom. She seems pleased with the answer because she turns around and heads back up the stairs. Hopefully her next stop is not Drew's room.

"I'm all done here," Becky says from the couch as I walk back over to her.

"Looks great," I say admiring her handy work, "makes me want to buy a raffle ticket."

"Good," she says pleased with herself.

"I can take those to school tomorrow," I offer. It's easier for her to leave them here than risk them getting ruined later.

"Okay thanks," she says. I walk her upstairs and to the door. "Bye Adam," she says giving me a quick goodbye hug.

"I'll see you at school," I say shutting the door as she leaves.

The rest of the evening goes by quickly. I told mom Drew's too sick to eat dinner and luckily when she checked on him she wasn't suspicious of anything. Surprisingly my mom didn't extend my grounding for having Becky over. And I spent the rest of the night watching TV because I didn't bring home any of my homework.

Around 11 o'clock I say my goodnights and head to bed.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I was very disheartened after last Thursday's Degrassi. I won't spoil it but it definitely sucked major D. But back to the story... I know this chapter focused a little too much on Beckdam but don't worry because I'll make up for it in the next chapter. PS how much longer do you want this story to go for? I have no idea how I would end it but I can't go on forever. That's not realistic. Moving forward, how do you see Drew dealing with a potential Adam and Bianca get together? How will Becky deal with it? How will Adam justify betraying his brother? Who do you think would support the relationship? What hardships might Bianca and Adam face if they get together? And so on, please comment and I promise to do my best not to make you wait 10 days for an update.


	21. Chapter 21

Tap. Tap. Tap. I wake up to the sound of light tapping against my window. Who climbed the tree next to my window? I groggily make my way toward my window and slide it open.

To my surprise it's Bianca, "Wrong window, Drew's one down," I say half asleep. I don't know why I said that, I know they've broken up but she's probably here to check on him. I start to shut the window when she stops me.

"I'm here to see you," she says climbing into my room. I look at my clock next to my bed, it reads 1:06 a.m. What could she possibly want right now? "I tried calling but you never picked up," she says.

"I'm grounded, my mom took my phone," I say, "So what can I do for you?" I ask, laying back down on the bed.

"Get dressed," she says, tossing a sweatshirt at my face.

"What for?" I ask pulling on the sweatshirt anyways. I have a feeling that no matter what she says, I'll go along with it. She has that effect on me.

"We're going somewhere," she answers. I know she's being vague but I'm too tired to argue or ask any more questions. She disappears into my closet and comes out with shorts, tossing them at me. I pull those on too. "Come on," she says starting to exit my room through the window.

"Wait, we can use the basement door," I say, "We just gotta be quiet." I'm way too tired to climb out a window and down a tree right now anyway.

She nods in acknowledgment. Bianca follows me quietly out of my room and down the two flights of stairs before we reach the basement.

Bianca notices the posters on the table, "Cute hobby," she says making fun of me.

"Becky made them," I say. No point in lying to her about that, not that she'll really care. She glares at the posters but doesn't say anything. "Come on," I say sliding open the door.

Bianca takes point because only she knows where we're going. It's pretty cold out and my legs are freezing. Next time she pops in unannounced, she should pick out sweats for me instead of athletic shorts.

We're cutting through the park near my house when she says, "We're here." She takes a seat on the swing set as I stand there confused.

"We're at a park," I state. Why the fuck are we at a park? And not any special cool park, the one by my house that I used to go to all the time. There's nothing significant about this park.

"You amaze me with your observation," she says sarcastically. I'm not awake enough to say something clever back.

"Why did you wake me up just to drag me to a park?" I ask.

"Just sit down," she says pointing toward the swing set next to her. I reluctantly take a seat and push off the ground. We're swinging in silence for a few minutes.

"This is fun," I say dryly. "Way better than sleeping," I say sarcastically. How long does she want us to sit out here?

"What's your favorite memory here at this park?" Bianca asks, completely ignoring my sarcastic remarks.

I take a minute to think about it. There's so many memories to account for. "I think my favorite memory was when Drew and I came here to toss a football. I know it sounds simple, but it was the first thing we did together as brothers. It was the first time he treated me like Adam. He's been my best friend since," I say. I don't know why I told her all that, she's just easy to talk to. She's easy to be around and she makes me want to open up. I know I've convinced myself not to put my heart on the line again, but she makes me want to risk it.

After a few minutes of more silence, she asks, "You want to know my favorite memory?"

"Yeah, tell me," I say.

"It's a recent one. See, this guy found me swinging on this swing set. And he took a seat next to me, like where you are now. And we started talking, sort of like how we just were. And then he told me he wanted to tell me a secret. That's when he leaned over and kissed me. That's my favorite memory because he's been the guy I've wanted to be with but also the guy who I couldn't be with. Yet in that moment, he was just the guy telling me everything I wanted to hear." Well things just got awkward. I didn't know she brought me here to tell me about some other guy. Doesn't she know that's not exactly what I want to hear from her?

"So where's this guy now?" I ask confused.

"He's right where he should be," Bianca says, leaning closer to me.

I feel an intense sensation of déjà vu as I'm sitting here next to Bianca. Little flashes of us sitting like this, but on a different night under different circumstances, pop into my head. I recall being a little drunk. "Wait, we've done this before, haven't we?" I ask.

She nods her head wordlessly.

More images pop into my mind. I see us sitting next to each other, I can't quite make out our conversation, but I remember leaning in and kissing her. Holy crap I kissed Bianca. She let me kiss her.

"We kissed," I state, but it comes out a little bit like a question.

She nods her head yes.

I can see us getting into Fiona's car and heading back to the loft. So that's how I ended up there on Sunday. It's all coming back to me now. And lastly, I can see Bianca and me falling asleep together.

"Bianca, fill in the blanks," I say, still slightly unsure of what I think I'm remembering.

Instead of replying, she closes the gap between us as her lips meet mine.

As we're kissing, I can feel everything changing. My heart feels uncontrollable, like my chest is about to explode. It's more than just a rapid heartbeat, it's the feeling of allowing someone in. Even if I wanted to fight it, if I wanted to turn off my feelings to avoid heartbreak, it's too late. Bianca's found a place in my heart and now that she's here, I won't ever let her go.

She breaks the kiss but doesn't pull away. Her forehead is pressed against mine and her eyes are closed.

"Bee," I whisper, breaking our silence. Her eyes flutter open and I see how fragile she looks, like what I say or do next could make or break her. I want to reassure her, tell her that she has nothing to worry about, that we can be together now. I want her to know that she's the one I've always wanted and that nothing can come between us. I want to tell her I love her.

"Let's take a walk," she says, interrupting my thoughts. She gets up from the swing and I follow. After a few seconds we reach the sidewalk and head in a direction away from my house. I glance down and notice our hands, only inches from each other. Should I hold her hand? After hesitating for a second, I reach out and take her hand in mine. She doesn't say anything but I see a smile appear on her face.

"So I'm the reason you broke up with Drew?" I ask.

"Yes and no," she says, "Things with Drew were already falling apart when I realized I liked."

"So how long have you liked me?" I tease.

"Awhile," she says vaguely. I love that she's liked me probably for as long as I've liked her. Imagine if we didn't waste all this time playing coy with each other, who knows how different things would be.

"Where do we go from here?" I ask seriously. Just because we like each other doesn't automatically mean we can date. It's sadly much more complex than that.

"Wherever you want it to go," she says, leaving it all up to me.

"Well I know what I want," I say confidently.

"And what's that?" She asks, looking up at me.

"I want you, obviously," I say squeezing her hand, "I want us to be together."

"What about Drew?" She asks nervously.

"We can tell him together, or I can talk with him on my own," I offer. She still looks unsure so I turn to face her and pull her in for a hug while whispering in her ear, "We're not going to hide being together in fear of his reaction." Honestly, my brother wants me to be happy. I know he will be able to come to terms with this.

I feel her head nod against me and hear her mutter, "Okay."

"I guess that leaves me with only one question," I say, slightly pulling away from her but leaving my arms loosely around her waist.

"What's that?" She asks, tilting her head to look up at me.

I have a huge smile glued to my face when I ask, "Bianca Desousa, will you be my girlfriend?"

The worried look on her face immediately disappears and is replaced by a smile mirroring my own. She doesn't even hesitate when she says, "I thought you'd never ask." The girl of my dreams finally said yes!

I pull her closer, lean in, and kiss her. Our first kiss as a couple. It feels familiar yet foreign. I've kissed her, and many other girls, plenty of times. But this time I really feel like the feelings are reciprocated. It's not just a kiss, it's an affirmation of our love for each other.

…..

Bianca's POV

We eventually wander back to Adam's house but it feels way too soon to say goodbye. I don't want to come off as clingy so I guess I better say goodnight and walk home.

"See you tomorrow at school?" I ask as we're hovering at his back door.

"It's too late for you to walk home, why don't you just spend the night?" He suggests. Before I even respond, which would have been a yes, he takes my hand and leads the way inside. We quietly make our way up to his bedroom and he shuts the door behind us.

He pulls off his shorts and sweatshirt, leaving him with a t-shirt and boxers, which was what he was wearing when I woke him up earlier.

He comes closer to me and tugs at the bottom of my top, "You can't sleep in all those clothes," he whispers, grinning ear to ear. I encourage him by lifting my arms over my head as he pulls the top over my head. He tosses it on the floor next to his clothes. Obviously feeling confident, he reaches down to the top of my jeans and unbuttons them. He pulls me closer using the belt loops and kisses me. My hands find their way around his neck, deepening the kiss. He tugs at my jeans, slowly pulling them off. Eventually they get low enough for me to shimmy out of them and kick them to the side of the room.

Adam breaks the kiss to admire my newly exposed skin. "You are so beautiful," he whispers, almost like he's talking to himself. His eyes on my body make me start to blush.

"Come on," I whisper, taking his hand and leading him toward the bed. We climb into his bed and he pulls the sheets over us. We're face to face, only inches apart, and his eyes are staring directly into mine. Adam reaches up and gently brushes some hair out my face, tucking it behind my ear.

"Goodnight," he says, closing the small gap between us and pressing a soft kiss against my lips.

Maybe it's the way he's looking at me right now, or the way he makes me feel when I'm around him, but my heart wants me to say those three little words. After a few minutes, Adam falls asleep next to me and in the silence of the room I whisper to him, "I love you Adam Torres."

…..

Adam's POV

There's no better way to wake up than with my arms wrapped around the girl I love. Her body pressed against mine with our legs tangled together, her face tucked in the crook of my neck, and her steady, warm breathing brushing against my skin. It's not how I remember falling asleep but it makes for one damn near perfect morning.

I carefully lean up to glance at the clock, it reads 7:03am. I'm running late. Drew and I usually leave around 7:20. I don't want to wake her, but if I don't we'll be late. What are the chances my mom will let me take a sick day?

I'm about to wake Bianca when I hear a knock at the door. I hear Drew's muffled voice behind the door, "Adam, can I get my leather jacket back?" What jacket? Oh the one he lent me for my date with Missy. Fuck. I haven't seen Missy since battle of the bands but she's still managing to fuck me over.

I whisper urgently, "Bee, wake up," as she starts to stir. Drew knocks again, "One second," I shout toward the door.

"Come on Adam," Drew says impatiently. Bianca's awake and looks flustered as she realizes who's at the door. I know we decided to tell Drew, but it's definitely not going to be like this.

"Sorry about this," I say to Bianca who's quickly thrown on her clothes and already has the window open to climb down the tree. I get an eerie feeling she's done this before.

"It's okay," she says, giving me a quick peck on the lips before climbing out the window.

I grab the leather jacket from the floor and open my door, "Sorry, I had to find it," I say handing the jacket to Drew.

"It's all good," he says taking the jacket and putting it on. He notices my dressed down attire, "Bro you better hurry up, we're leaving soon," he says before turning around and heading back into his room.

I shut the door and take a huge sigh of relief. That was too close. I need to have this talk with Drew sooner rather than later before he finds out from someone else, or worse, catches us.

I quickly get ready and grab my backpack, meeting Drew downstairs in the kitchen. My mom's there also, sipping her morning coffee.

"Hey mom, can I get my phone back if I do extra chores for the week?" I ask.

She thinks about my compromise, "Okay but you're still grounded from the Xbox until the end of the week."

"Deal," I say grabbing my phone off the counter, "Thanks mom." She looks pleased that she was able to make me happy while also maintaining her punishments.

"Ready?" Drew asks with a mouth full of bagel.

"Yeah," I say, opening the front door and heading out.

As we're sitting in the car listening to music that Drew picked, because driver gets to control the radio, I think that this might be a good time to talk to him.

"You seem like you're in a better mood," I observe. He actually is a lot more upbeat today, plus he's wearing the jacket that he thinks brings him luck with the ladies. Maybe he's moving on.

"Today's going to be a good day," he states confidently.

"Why? What's special about today?" I ask curiously.

"I have a date," he says grinning.

"How did you get a date between yesterday's drunk fit and today?" I ask, slightly astonished but impressed with my brother. I guess if anyone could pull that off it would be my brother.

"I texted Katie last night and asked her if I could take her to lunch," he answers.

"Dallas's Katie?" I clarify. Oh fuck. Drew can't go after someone Dallas is going after, that just won't work. Not only is it a dick move but it's just going to cause trouble in the house. Something that we don't need any more of.

"He doesn't own her," Drew says defensively.

I state the obvious, "But we both know he likes her."

"Come on Adam, I need this," he says in a pleading tone. I know this will help him get over Bianca so the extremely selfish part of me is happy he's moving on rather than trying to win her back. But the loyal part of me, the part loyal to Dallas, knows this is a terrible thing. I don't want to see Dallas hurt if Drew ends up getting with Katie. And I definitely don't want to live in a house where Drew brings Katie around in front of Dallas.

"I don't think it's a good idea," I say, "but do what you gotta do." I'm going to refrain from telling Drew about Bianca and me until after his date with Katie. I want him to be as over Bianca as he can be before I lay the news on him.

We pull into the school parking lot when I check my phone, two unread messages.

The first message is from Bianca and I can already feel the smile on my face as I read the text, "Wish we didn't have to rush this morning."

I type out a quick reply before Drew sees who I'm texting, "We'll make up for it."

I check the second message and see it's from Becky, "Please don't forget to bring the posters to school!" Oh shit, I totally forgot the posters at home. I'll have to ditch first period and run home.

"Hey Drew," I say as he's exiting the car, "I need the keys to run home real quick, I forgot Becky's poster."

"Alright but you're going to miss class," he says. Thanks captain obvious. Since when is he the studious one anyways? Drew tosses me the keys regardless.

…..

Bianca's POV

I miraculously managed to make it home, change clothes, and make it to school on time. Usually I would gladly just ditch first period, but I really want to see Adam. It feels good having a reason to want to go to school. I like my classes, and I really don't mind all the work, but I love the anticipation of seeing that special someone. That's something Drew and I kind of lost after a while. Nothing was special about that relationship anymore. I don't regret that it happened, but I regret letting it go on that long.

I head to my locker to get my books and notice Fiona a few lockers down talking to Imogen. I don't know why I feel so giddy, this usually never happens to me, but I really want to tell Fiona everything that happened last night.

I walk up to her and Imogen, "Hey guys," I say tentatively. I don't know if I'm interrupting something or not, I don't usually talk to Fiona when her girlfriend is around.

"Hey," Fiona says welcomingly.

"How goes the Adam troubles?" Imogen asks. I guess Fiona told her everything. No big deal. That saves me the trouble of filling Imogen in. Besides, if Fiona trusts her that means I can trust her.

"The troubles have been resolved," I happily inform them.

"Really?" Asks Fiona, "And how'd that happen?"

"Let's just say I dropped by his house last night and got him to remember everything," I say.

"I'm so happy for you two! And it's for real now, right?" Fiona asks.

"Yeah, we're really together," I confirm, "but keep it to yourselves until Adam and I get the chance to tell Drew about it."

"How are you going to manage that?" Fiona asks. Good question.

"I'm not really sure, there's no easy or right way to do it. Honestly, I don't think Adam's anticipating the worse. He's convinced his brother will understand, but I think we all know Drew isn't the most understanding or level headed person. I just don't want Adam to be crushed if Drew isn't cool with it," I confess to the girls. It's really been weighing on my mind. What will Adam do if his brother hates him? I can't be responsible for destroying a relationship between brothers.

"I think you should talk to Adam about it, tell him that you're worried and that you don't want him to get his hopes up that things will go smoothly," Fiona advises.

"I know I should, it's just… we just started out, we finally got things figured out, I don't want to have any bumps in the road so soon," I say.

The bell rings and people in the hall start to hustle.

"Everything will work out," Fiona reassures, "We'll catch you later," she says, bringing our conversation to a close.

"Good luck!" Imogen adds as they two start walking toward their classes.

At least Adam's in my first class. So now that we're dating, does that mean I get to take Eli's spot next to Adam? I don't really know how open Adam and I are going to be about our relationship until Drew finds out. Unfortunately this morning we didn't have time to sort these things out.

Because I haven't talked to Adam about it, and I know Adam hasn't had time to talk to Eli about it, I take my regular seat in front of Adam's spot. As kids start to file in I notice Adam is nowhere to be seen.

When the bell rings and Adam is still a no show, I start to get slightly worried. What if Adam told Drew and all hell broke loose? I turn around while the teacher isn't looking and whisper, "Where's Adam?" to Eli.

Eli looks confused, "You talking to me?"

I roll my eyes, "Yes I'm talking to you."

"I don't know, I haven't talked to him since yesterday," he says unhelpfully.

I pull out my phone to text him, "Where are you?"

Much to my relief he replies quickly, "Running an errand for Becky." Apparently whatever it is that Becky needs, Adam's willing to ditch class over it.

I look over at Becky Baker, sitting there next to Jenna, looking all cheerful and perky. I already know I don't like her. Besides hearing how religious and close-minded she is, which is reason enough to dislike someone, she feels like competition. I don't know what Adam sees, I mean saw, in her but whatever it is she better keep it to herself.

Not really knowing what to say back, I decide not to reply to Adam. Whenever he gets to school he can come find me and explain whatever there is to tell. I'm not going to play the inquisitive girlfriend and ask a bunch of follow up questions.

After class I decide to take preventative actions toward Becky. I walk up to her while she's putting her books in her backpack, "We need to talk," I say forcefully.

Becky glances at Jenna before turning toward me and tentatively saying, "Okay sure."

A/N: I'm sorry it's been awhile. I started school, college to be specific, and I've been real busy. Plus I have very little alone time to write. That being said, these are just excuses and I'll try harder to not let a month go by without an update. On to the story, how should Adam tell Drew? How will Bianca handle Becky? Will Adam and Bianca actually make it without a stupid break up? Also, who says "I love you" first? Technically it was Bianca but Adam wasn't awake to hear it. Thanks for reading and please comment!


	22. Chapter 22

Becky nervously gets up from her seat, which I take as an affirmation that she'll follow me. I walk out of the classroom and lead her to a deserted French classroom. I knew it would be empty because this is where Drew and I used to go after first period to hook up. Weird how much things have changed in such little time.

"You don't have to be nervous," I say once we're alone. I don't want to intimidate the girl, I want to inform her of Adam's relationship status. Hence why I needed to get her alone.

"I'm not," she says nervously. Her attempt at bravery makes me chuckle.

"Listen I don't know what went on between you and Adam in the past or what happened between you two last night when you were at his house and I don't care. I'm only concerned about what's going to happen moving forward," I say.

"I don't follow," she says, either playing dumb or genuinely not understanding what I'm trying to say.

"Adam's no longer available," I say, cutting to the chase.

"I think I would know if Adam was dating someone," she says, oblivious to my implications.

"Yeah you do know, because I'm telling you he is dating someone," I say with a hint of irritation in my voice.

"How do you know?" She asks. I don't really want to tell Becky, especially because Adam and I haven't discussed how we're going to tell people or who we're telling. But I also don't think Becky will get it unless I spell it out for her.

"Because Adam and I are dating," I confess. I don't know why, but every time I say that I smile. Even saying it to Becky doesn't diminish the happiness I feel from that statement.

"How can you be dating Adam? Aren't you with his brother?" She asks.

"Look I'm not here to disclose my personal life with you, I'm here to tell you not to pursue anything with Adam because it will be a waste of your time and it will piss me off," I say, effectively ignoring all her questions and shutting her up.

"We'll see what Adam has to say about this," she says with a little bit of sass. Who knew Christian girl had it in her? She brushes past me and leaves the classroom.

That did not go the way I planned for it to go.

…..

Adam's POV

I make it back to school sometime during second period. I missed first period, I might as well miss second period too. I leave the car idling in the parking lot, listening to music and just relaxing. I don't get enough alone time these days.

I periodically check my phone, waiting for Bianca to text me back but she hasn't. I'll have to find her later to talk to her. We have a lot we need to discuss.

I hear the bell ring, signaling the end of second period. I grab my backpack and the posters from the backseat of the car and head inside. First place I need to go is Becky's locker to give her these posters.

I head there and find her at her locker, "Hey Becky, sorry these are late, I forgot them at home," I say, handing them toward her.

"That's okay," she says not bothered at all, "but can you help me hang them up during lunch?" She asks.

"I don't know," I say, trying to politely decline. I know I would much rather spend my lunch hour with Bianca than hanging posters in the hallway. "Can we hang them now?" I ask as a compromise.

"I can't, I have to go talk to my teacher about a paper I have due tomorrow," she says. I don't want to leave Becky hanging, she'd have to hang all these posters by herself. The least I can do is help out.

"Oh okay, then yeah I'll help you hang the posters during lunch," I say. Bianca will understand. Besides, it should only take me five minutes, ten max, to hang these around the school.

"Okay I'll meet you at your locker," she says gratefully.

"Sounds good," I say, walking away to find Bianca.

…..

Bianca's POV

I'm on my way to my 3rd class of the day when someone tugs on my arm, pulling me into an empty classroom.

"Hey," my newly identified kidnapper says. It's Adam. Any annoyance or irritation I might have been feeling toward him, because of Becky, disappears completely when I see him standing in front of me.

"Hey," I say back, leaning toward Adam to kiss him. He reciprocates but the kiss is brief because we're both aware we're at school where anyone could see us and word could get out.

"Is it weird if I say that I already missed you? Even though we were only apart for maybe two hours," he asks. It's a relief when I realize he needs me as much as I need him. It makes me feel less insecure about wanting to be around him all the time.

"If it is, then we're both weirdoes," I say back. He smiles at that and leans in for another kiss that doesn't end as soon as the last. His kiss lingers on my lips, leaving me to enjoy the sensation but also wanting more. I wonder when I can get him alone, more alone than an empty classroom.

"So," he says changing the subject, "I kind of got sucked into helping Becky during lunch with hanging posters, but it should only take a few minutes. So can I meet up with you after and take you to lunch?" he asks.

"Funny how she manages to rope you into things like this," I say absent-mindedly. Doesn't he know this is just Becky's way of roping him into spending time with her? She's trying to spend more time with my boyfriend.

"What do you mean?" He asks.

"You do realize she still likes you, right?" I ask.

"No, we're just friends," he says. I give him a doubtful look. "You don't have to worry," he says, putting his arms around my waist and pulling me closer, "there's no one else I would rather be with than you."

"Good," I say, satisfied with his answer.

"So I'll find you at your locker?" He asks, referring to our lunch time plans.

"Sure," I say nodding my head.

"Can't wait," he says, leaning in one more time for a goodbye kiss. This time I don't let him get away as easily. My hands snake their way around his neck to keep him right where I want him. He doesn't seem to mind that I'm extending our goodbye kiss. When we finally pull apart, I see a dazed look on his face. I smile realizing that I have that effect on him.

I leave the classroom first and after a few minutes I'm sure Adam left the classroom as well. It's weird, I've never had to sneak around before. It sucks because I can't be around him as often as I would like, but it's also kind of exhilarating. Trying not to get caught is like a game in itself, and I get to play it with Adam.

…..

Adam's POV

Luckily I have Clare and Eli in my class before lunch, I have so much to tell them. I stroll into class and take the seat next to Eli, with Clare sitting in front of Eli.

"Hey," I say to the both of them.

"I feel like we haven't seen you in forever," Clare says. Funny how she uses the word "we" as if her and Eli are an entity. I never want to be the couple that says "we feel" or "we think," like they lost their own individual identities to become the same person.

"I have so much to tell you guys," I say. Where do I even begin?

"Does it relate to Bianca?" Eli asks.

"How'd you know?" I ask. Uh oh, did word already get out?

"She was asking about you this morning in chemistry," Eli answers. Phew, so word hasn't gotten out yet. Thank god.

"Yeah about her…" I say trailing off. I should just spit it out, get it over with like ripping off a band aid. "We're dating," I state somewhat proudly. I'm nervous though, I don't know how they're going to react. Eli already somewhat knows what's been happening, but this might be out of left field for Clare.

"Not really sure how to feel about this," Eli says. Well that's better than a flat out rejection of this news.

Clare interjects, "Bianca as in the girl your brother was dating, like, yesterday?" Clare's confused face is priceless.

"That's the one," I say, feeling no shame. She's not his girl anymore, I wish people would stop associating her with Drew. She's her own person.

"What? How? When did this happen?" Clare asks.

"Don't you tell her anything?" I ask Eli.

"You knew?" Clare asks, directing some annoyance toward Eli. Eli gives her an innocent shrug.

"He didn't really know that much, he knew I liked Bianca but that's it," I say, trying to defend Eli from the mess I got him into.

"Whatever, that's not the point anyways. Are you going to tell us how it happened?" Clare asks.

"It's a long story," I say. The bell rings and the teacher starts class. "I'll tell you later," I whisper.

…..

Bianca's POV

Class ends and I head to my locker to wait for Adam. Of course all I can think about is Becky Baker and my boyfriend together. I don't like it at all. Especially because my talk with Becky this morning didn't go as planned. I know I have nothing to be worried about, Adam would never do anything to hurt me, but I still feel a little jealousy telling me to go find Adam and show Becky exactly where she stands.

I leave my locker and start to wander the halls, looking for Adam and Becky. Most of the kids are already in the cafeteria, so the halls are pretty much empty. I turn down the hall where Adam's locker is and spot them hanging a poster. They're actually just hanging posters, seems innocent enough. I guess I had nothing to worry about to begin with.

I walk up to Adam, "Hey," I say, putting my arms around him for a quick hug. With his free hand, the one not holding the posters, he hugs me back. Good, that'll show Becky.

"Hey whatcha doing here?" He asks.

"Yeah we're trying to work here," Becky interjects. Bitch.

I narrow my eyes at her before responding, "I thought I'd come help, that way you guys can finish sooner."

"I think we can manage," Becky says. Please girl, you're not getting rid of me.

"Your posters crooked," I say, nodding toward the one she just hung. Becky glares at me before looking at the poster and noticing that it is indeed crooked. She begrudgingly reaches up to fix it and I don't even try to hide my victorious smile.

"We only have a few more," Adam says, leading us down a different hallway to hang a poster.

"So Adam," Becky says, "Still not taking anyone to the dance next week?" She asks innocently, but I see what she's playing at.

"Huh," he ponders, then glances at me and smiles, "I think I'm actually taking my girlfriend," he answers. I melt at the word girlfriend.

"You have a girlfriend?" Becky asks disbelievingly.

"Yeah he does," I say, answering for him and taking a step closer to Adam so our sides our touching. If this doesn't let her know where she stands then I'm done trying to do this the nice way.

"Oh," is all Becky says, and for a second I can see that she's crushed but she hides it well by turning around to hang the next poster. It's kind of awkward now, we're all just standing here in silence. Adam probably has no idea what's going on and Becky is all sad now. "You two can go if you want, I can hang the rest by myself," she says.

"You sure?" Adam asks.

"We can stay and help," I offer, feeling slightly bad for her after I saw how sad she looked.

"No I can do it," she says, taking the posters from Adam. She turns and walks down the hall without us.

"Bye," Adam says, confused probably by her sudden change in attitude. He doesn't seem to ponder the situation for very long before turning his attention to me, "So," he says with a smile, "looks like it's just you and I."

…..

Adam's POV

"You hungry? Want to head to The Dot?" I ask. I happen to know she's a sucker for food from The Dot.

"Hmm, I have a better idea," she says with a smirk. She grabs my hand and leads me to a door that I know is the storage room under the theater, the same room we were in earlier when Drew was drunk. She looks both ways before opening the door and sneaking us in there. It's dark in here but neither of us bother to turn on the lights.

I barely have time to shut the door behind us before Bianca's on me. I feel her hands touching and tugging as she pulls me closer. Her kissing is feverish, like she hasn't seen me in years. I bring my hand up to her face, brushing my thumb over her cheek trying to soothe her. She isn't having it, she grabs my hand and places it on her lower back. Giving in to her aggressive style, I slide my hands under her shirt and feel up some exposed skin. I start to clumsily lead us back toward the couch with both of us stumbling occasionally on the way. It's so dark that we don't realize we've reached the couch until we literally bump into it.

I start to lean her onto the couch when suddenly she screeches, "Ahh!"

Another unidentified voice pipes up, "Who the-"

"Bianca?" A voice asks that I quickly identify to be Drew.

"Drew?" I ask confused. Oh shit, Drew cannot be here right now. This is bad. What is he doing here?

"Adam?" Drew asks even more confused. Because it's so dark, there is a lot of confusion. All I've been able to piece together is that Drew is in the storage room with Bianca and me. And I think he's with another girl.

Someone must have turned on the lights because a second later the room lights up. Boy do we all look guilty. Bianca looks stunned, Drew looks confused, and the unidentified girl turns out to be Katie. Drew kind of pushes Katie off of his lap and stands up, standing only a few feet from us. He keeps glancing between Bianca and me. His confused look slowly starts to turn to anger when he realizes what we were doing.

"I can explain," I say, breaking the silence.

A/N: Uh oh, out of all the ways for Drew to find out... Drew will obviously be pissed, do you think he's going to get violent? Who do you think will be able to mediate the situation? Also, do you guys want to see more Fiona/Imogen in the story or Eli/Clare? I'll try to write the next chapter as soon as possible but please keep commenting and reviewing because it makes me happy and inspires me to write!


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